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Webster 1913 Edition


Heroine

Her′o-ine

,
Noun.
[F.
héroïne
, L.
heroina
, Gr. [GREEK], fem. of [GREEK]. See
Hero
.]
1.
A woman of an heroic spirit.
The
heroine
assumed the woman’s place.
Dryden.
2.
The principal female person who figures in a remarkable action, or as the subject of a poem or story.

Webster 1828 Edition


Heroine

HER'OINE

,
Noun.
her'oin. A female hero; a woman of a brave spirit. [Heroess is not in use.]

Definition 2024


heroine

heroine

See also: héroïne and heroïne

English

Noun

heroine (plural heroines, masculine hero)

  1. A female hero.
  2. A female lead character.
    • 1905, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, chapter 2, in The Affair at the Novelty Theatre:
      Miss Phyllis Morgan, as the hapless heroine dressed in the shabbiest of clothes, appears in the midst of a gay and giddy throng; she apostrophises all and sundry there, including the villain, and has a magnificent scene which always brings down the house, and nightly adds to her histrionic laurels.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Usage notes

  • In sense 1, hero, the masculine of heroine, is sometimes used, though it is still acceptable to use the feminine.
She is an American hero (or heroine).
  • Like feminine nouns formed with the suffix -ess, heroine refers only to females, whereas hero can refer to both males and females.
Who is your favorite hero? (answer can refer to either sex)
Who is your favorite heroine? (answer can refer only to females)

Translations