What does antihero mean?
An antihero is the leading character of a novel, play, film, or television series who conspicuously lacks the qualities traditionally associated with heroes — courage, honesty, idealism, selflessness, or moral clarity. Rather than opposing the hero, the antihero occupies the hero's position in the story, driving the plot and typically commanding the audience's attention and even sympathy despite serious flaws, selfishness, or outright wrongdoing. The term emerged in English literary criticism in the early eighteenth century and gained particular prominence in the mid-twentieth century through writers such as Kingsley Amis and John Osborne, whose disillusioned protagonists broke with older models of nobility. Today the concept flourishes in prestige television and cinema, where figures like Walter White, Tony Soprano, and Don Draper have made morally compromised leads a defining feature of contemporary drama. The word belongs chiefly to critical and journalistic writing about fiction, and it describes a character type rather than passing judgment on one.
nounA central character in a story who lacks conventional heroic qualities such as idealism, courage, or moral goodness, yet remains the figure with whom the audience is meant to engage.
- A principal fictional character who lacks conventional heroic attributes such as courage, idealism, or moral integrity, but who nonetheless carries the narrative and often wins the audience's sympathy.
"Walter White, a chemistry teacher turned drug manufacturer, became television's most compelling antihero."
"The novel's antihero drifts through postwar London, lying to everyone including himself."
"Critics praised the series for making its antihero both repulsive and impossible to look away from."
Standard plural; occasionally seen as 'antiheros' but 'antiheroes' is strongly preferred.
"Modern television has given us more memorable antiheroes than any previous era."
The word 'antihero' was already in English by the early 18th century — long before Don Draper, Walter White, or Han Solo made it cool.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of antihero
The word 'antihero' combines the Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' (meaning 'against' or 'opposite') with 'hero', which traces back through Latin 'heros' to the ancient Greek 'hērōs', denoting a demigod or illustrious warrior. It entered English literary vocabulary in the early eighteenth century, when critics began applying it to protagonists who inverted classical ideals of heroism. Its modern currency owes much to twentieth-century literature and drama, particularly the 'angry young men' of 1950s British fiction and theatre, and it has since become a staple term in film and television criticism.
Related word forms
How antihero is actually used
Mostly used in literary criticism, film review, and popular discussion of fiction; rare in everyday non-fictional contexts. The term carries no inherent disapproval of the character — antiheroes are often the most admired figures in modern storytelling. Plural is 'antiheroes'.
Easily confused with antihero
A villain opposes the hero and is not the story's central figure, whereas an antihero is the central character despite lacking heroic virtues.
A protagonist is simply the leading character of a work; an antihero is a specific kind of protagonist defined by the absence of traditional heroic qualities.
An antagonist works against the main character, while an antihero is the main character himself or herself.