<p>Wikipedia has a very good definition and it includes some examples (Ariel in Little Mermaid, Maria in West Side Story etc.) I’d link the page for you but I don’t know how to do it.</p>
<p>Not a dumb question. I had to look it up myself a year ago. Look up character actor while you are at it as well. You’ll hear people talking about both quite often and it will be helpful for you to have a mental image.</p>