a woman noted for courageous acts or nobility of character: Esther and other biblical heroines.
a woman who, in the opinion of others, has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal: Name two women who have been heroines in your life.
the principal female character in a story, play, film, etc.
Compare hero (defs. 1-3).
Origin of heroine
1650–60; <Latin hērōīnē<Greek hērōī́nē, feminine of hḗrōshero; see -ine2
Virgil stands for empire, too, but he’s also an interesting riff on a classic gothic trope, which is for there to be a sexual attraction tinged with violence between heroine and antihero.
Gothic novels are obsessed with borders. Mexican Gothic takes full advantage.|Constance Grady|October 16, 2020|Vox
If the outbreak had been a movie, this would have been the scene where the heroine mobilizes an all-star squad of specialists to save the planet.
Inside the Fall of the CDC|by James Bandler, Patricia Callahan, Sebastian Rotella and Kirsten Berg|October 15, 2020|ProPublica
These new fiction releases are oddly compatible tales of gritty heroines on long-haul journeys in a natural world on the brink of destruction.
3 New Novels Show a Natural World in Peril|Erin Berger|October 3, 2020|Outside Online
Even though victims groups see Haselberg as a heroine, she feels she could have done more.
How Sicko Priests Got Away With It|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The 30-something heroine glamorized the metropolis and its coveted name brands, Arora says.
How Brooklyn Invaded Paris—Next Stop, the World|Brandon Presser|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The artist Mike Denison has set himself a challenge: to draw one picture a day for an entire year of his heroine Bea Arthur.
Forever a Golden Girl: The Art of Being Bea Arthur|Tim Teeman|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mischievous and spirited, she was a heroine for generations of young girls who read and idolized her.
Madeline’s New York Moment: Ludwig Bemelmans’ Heroine Comes Home|Erin Cunningham|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The context of “Let It Go” is this: Elsa, the heroine of Frozen, is able to turn anything to ice with the touch of her hand.
Why These Marines Love ‘Frozen’—and Why It Matters|Aaron B. O’Connell|June 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the colour of the heroine's eyes and the tint of her hair are immaterial to her career, omit such hackneyed data.
The Lure of the Pen|Flora Klickmann
Beauty and the Beast, the hero and heroine of a famous fairy tale.
The Nuttall Encyclopaedia|Edited by Rev. James Wood
He dropped a few particulars of his hero in action; but the heroine eclipsed.
One of Our Conquerors, Complete|George Meredith
Christabel, the heroine of an ancient romance entitled Sir Eglamour of Artois.
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol 1|The Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D.
Speak to me of thy principal female character, be she heroine or no.'
The Captain of the Pole-Star and Other Tales|Arthur Conan Doyle
British Dictionary definitions for heroine
heroine
/ (ˈhɛrəʊɪn) /
noun
a woman possessing heroic qualities
a woman idealized for possessing superior qualities
the main female character in a novel, play, film, etc