What does "antihero" mean?

A protagonist who proceeds in an unheroic manner, such as by criminal means, via cowardly actions, or for mercenary goals.

What is a synonym for "antihero"?

Common synonyms include: actor, antagonist, bit, bit part, byronic hero, cast.

How do you pronounce "antihero"?

Pronounced //ˈænˌtaɪ.hiɹ.oʊ//.

Antihero

//ˈænˌtaɪ.hiɹ.oʊ// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A protagonist who proceeds in an unheroic manner, such as by criminal means, via cowardly actions, or for mercenary goals.
"Alienation: A stage on the downside of the passage wherein the holdfast and the antihero take actions which bring about a disintegration of personality."
2
a protagonist who lacks the characteristics that would make them a hero (or her a heroine) wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

actor antagonist bit bit part byronic hero cast

Antonyms

All antonyms

hero

Example

More examples

"Alienation: A stage on the downside of the passage wherein the holdfast and the antihero take actions which bring about a disintegration of personality."

Etymology

From anti- + hero.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.