Phrase guide

Byronic hero

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /baɪˈɹɒn.ɪk ˈhɪə.ɹəʊ/
  • General-American: /baɪˈɹɒn.ɪk ˈhɪɹ.oʊ/
  • General-American: /baɪˈɹɒn.ɪk ˈhiɹ.oʊ/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A character type originating in the works of Lord Byron, typically characterized by introspection, arrogance, cynicism, emotional depth, and moral ambiguity; often alienated from society and at odds with conventional morality.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: literature, media, publishing

Examples

  • Childe Harold exemplifies the Byronic hero.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Romantic hero

Antonyms: classical hero

2

noun

Meaning 2

An archetype of a moody, brooding, rebellious, and self-destructive antihero found across later fiction and media, marked by intelligence, passion, and alienation from social norms.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Qualifier: literary trope

Examples

  • Heathcliff, Edward Rochester, and Batman are often described as Byronic heroes.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: antihero

Antonyms: ideal hero

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.