heroine
noun
her·o·ine
| \ ˈher-ə-wən
, ˈhir-, ˈhe-rə-
\
, ˈhir-, ˈhe-rə-
\
Definition of heroine
1a
: a mythological or legendary woman often of divine descent having great strength or ability
b
: a woman admired and emulated for her achievements and qualities
American heroines such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Rosa Parks remembered as the heroine of the flood
2a
: the principal female character in a literary or dramatic work
the heroine of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
b
: the central female figure in an event or period
Examples of heroine in a Sentence
The town remembered her as the heroine of the flood and erected a statue in her honor.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kogan, who left photojournalism for TV news in 1992, and then left journalism altogether in 1998 to become a full-time mom, is not, contrary to the media buzz around the book, some kind of neo-fem heroine to women journalists. — Sarah Menkedick, Longreads, "The First Book," 24 July 2019 In changing her name, training with the troops, and disguising herself as a male soldier, Mulan took actions that might be far from reality, but her story is eerily similar to that of a real Mexican heroine: Petra Herrera. — Teen Vogue, "Mexican Revolutionary Petra Herrera Posed as a Man to Fight for Her Country," 1 Apr. 2019 The film’s highly stylized aesthetic was inspired by the color scheme of Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), which Argento also drew on for its mythic tone and its presentation of a young, virginal heroine surrounded by evil. — Aja Romano, Vox, "How Suspiria turns the color red into a plot point," 9 Nov. 2018 So appealing were her sensational stories of high-powered heroines that each novel was reimagined for television as an episodic miniseries. — NBC News, "Steamy romance novelist Judith Krantz dies at 91," 23 June 2019 So appealing were her sensational stories of high-powered heroines that each novel was reimagined for television as an episodic miniseries. — Sandy Cohen, BostonGlobe.com, "Judith Krantz, best-selling author of racy romance novels, dies at 91," 23 June 2019 But without a proper villain, heroes and heroines don't get a chance to shine. — Massimo Marioni, CNN, "US being cast as 'disgraceful' villains over Thailand thrashing is PR gold for the Women's World Cup," 12 June 2019 Around the island, iconic whitewashed houses overlook calm harbors and rolling green hills, and locals gather in the pub on windy evenings to recount tales of brave heroines and heroes, mysterious happenings, and fascinating history. — Sarah Christensen, National Geographic, "Scotland: Land of Legends," 31 May 2019 But this new woman Doctor is expected to have a trait that many of those other heroines don’t have: a sense of humor. — Danush Parvaneh, Vox, "How Doctor Who could change the way women are portrayed in sci-fi," 5 Oct. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heroine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for heroine
heroine
noun
English Language Learners Definition of heroine
: a woman who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities
: the chief female character in a story, play, movie, etc.
See the full definition for heroine in the English Language Learners Dictionary
heroine
noun
her·o·ine
| \ ˈher-ə-wən
\
\
Kids Definition of heroine
1
: a woman admired for great deeds or fine qualities
Eleanor Roosevelt is remembered as a heroine during hard times.
2
: the chief female character in a story, poem, or play
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