Okuzeka
Literature vocabulary · Character and Characterization

Antihero

Meaning in literature, with examples

/ˈæntiˌhɪərəʊ/nounCommon term

In literature, antihero means: A main character who lacks traditional heroic qualities such as courage, honesty or nobility, but whom readers still follow and may sympathize with.

In Turkish: antikahraman, karşı kahraman

How it is used

Common in criticism of modern fiction, film and TV. The narrator of Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground and Holden Caulfield in Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye are often called antiheroes. Critics speak of a classic, flawed or tragic antihero.

Example sentences

  1. The antihero of the novel is lazy, bitter and dishonest, yet strangely likable.

  2. Modern crime fiction is full of antiheroes who break the rules to get results.

Common collocations

  • classic antihero
  • tragic antihero
  • a flawed antihero
  • the rise of the antihero
  • protagonistThe main character of a story, whose goals, problems and choices drive the plot and whom the reader follows most closely.
  • tragic flawA weakness or error of judgment in a tragic hero, such as pride, ambition or jealousy, that leads to his or her downfall.
  • characterA person, or sometimes an animal or creature, who takes part in the events of a story, play or poem.
  • antagonistThe character or force that opposes the main character and creates the central conflict of a story.

More terms: Character and Characterization

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: