antihero

Plural: antiheroes

Noun

• A central character who lacks conventional heroic attributes.
• a protagonist who lacks the characteristics that would make him a hero (or her a heroine)
• A protagonist who proceeds in an unheroic manner, such as by criminal means, via cowardly actions, or for mercenary goals.

Examples

• He became the Scrabble antihero by strategically playing low-scoring words to block everyone.

Synonyms

unhero

Related Words

anti-villain, counterhero, false hero, false protagonist