Hero vs. Vigilante — What's the Difference?

A hero (heroine in its feminine form) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly solely gender-specific terms (like actor), hero is often used to refer to any gender, though heroine only refers to women.

A member of a self-appointed group of citizens who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority, typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate.

A priestess of Aphrodite beloved by Leander.

A person who is not a member of law enforcement but who pursues and punishes persons suspected of lawbreaking.

A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed one's life

A member of a vigilance committee. 19

A person noted for special achievement in a particular field

A person who acts outside of legal authority, often violently, to punish or avenge a crime, right a perceived wrong, etc.

The principal character in a novel, poem, or dramatic presentation.

Member of a vigilance committee

In mythology and legend, an individual, often a man of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for bold exploits, and favored by the gods.

See submarine sandwich.

Somebody who possesses great bravery and carries out extraordinary or noble deeds.

A role model.

The protagonist in a work of fiction.

(poker) The current player, especially an hypothetical player for example and didactic purposes. Compare: any opponent player. Not to be confused with a weak call against a supposed bluff.

(US) A large sandwich made from meats and cheeses; a hero sandwich.

The product chosen from several candidates to be photographed, as in food advertising, or with props used in a movie.

(web design) The eye-catching top portion of a web page, sometimes including a hero image; the portion above the fold.

An illustrious man, supposed to be exalted, after death, to a place among the gods; a demigod, as Hercules.

A man of distinguished valor or enterprise in danger, or fortitude in suffering; a prominent or central personage in any remarkable action or event; hence, a great or illustrious person.

The principal personage in a poem, story, and the like, or the person who has the principal share in the transactions related; as Achilles in the Iliad, Ulysses in the Odyssey, and Æneas in the Æneid.

A man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength;

The principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem

Someone who fights for a cause

Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)

(classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits; often the offspring of a mortal and a god

(Greek mythology) priestess of Aphrodite who killed herself when her lover Leander drowned while trying to swim the Hellespont to see her

A large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States