The antihero or antiheroine is a leading character in a film, book or play who lacks the traditional heroic qualities such as idealism, courage, nobility, fortitude, moral goodness, and altruism.

Whereas the classical hero is larger than life, antiheroes are typically inferior to the reader in intelligence, dynamism or social purpose, giving rise to what Robbe-Grillet called “these heroes without naturalness as without identity”.

The term is also sometimes used more broadly to cover Byronic heroes as well.