Is "protagonize" an English verb?
Hi, I'm reviewing an academic paper written in English by non native speakers. They use the word "protagonized", supposedly as the past tense of the verb "to protagonize". I said, repeatedly, that there is no such word in English, but they insist the paper has been proofread by a native speaker who says "protagonized" is fine. Is "to protagonize" an English verb?
Thanks!
Top answer
I've never in my life heard or read this term. Clive
- I've never in my life heard or read this term.
- Clive
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car walk 325Is "to protagonize" an English verb?
About 70% of the time when I want to say "No, that is not a word", I look it up in the Oxford English Dictionary, and darn it, it is. Not this time. "Protagonize" is not a recognized word, and it is not even a very good nonce word because I can't imagine what it might mean, mixing positive and negative
0Maybe they were trying to coin a word that is the opposite of antagonize.
A protagonist is the main character in a drama. It is a noun, not a verb.
The verb had a verb brief life as a website for creative writers.
Google NGRAM viewer shows some usages (th
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