heroine

noun

her·​o·​ine ˈher-ə-wən  ˈhir- 

ˈhe-rə-

1

a

: 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

2

a

: 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

Despite its wise-cracking titular heroine, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is no joking matter — not to Sarah Michelle Gellar. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 16 Feb. 2025

But don’t expect sprawling, High School Musical–esque song-and-dance numbers at the yeshiva; in Yentl, every song functions as a monologue, during which our heroine privately reckons with the loneliness and absurdity of her situation. —Vogue, 15 Feb. 2025

Mackey, raven-haired and listless in a bikini top and cigarette in hand, is camera-genic enough to make for an appealing heroine. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Feb. 2025

This exuberant début poetry collection recasts the titular heroine as an Appalachian housewife reckoning with the tyrannies of beauty, domesticity, and small-town gossip during the late twentieth century. —The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin heroina, from Greek hērōinē, feminine of hērōs

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

heroine

noun

her·​o·​ine ˈher-ə-wən 

1

: a woman in legends or myths who has great courage and daring

2

: a woman admired for her achievements and qualities

3

: the chief female figure in a literary work or in an event or period