ACTOR Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

actor

noun

ˈak-tər

Definition of actor

as in actress

one who acts professionally (as in a play, movie, or television show) my sister went to drama school to become an actor

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in participant

one who takes part in something Benjamin Franklin was a major actor in many of the events leading up to the founding of our nation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of actor The Odyssey cast is stacked with heavy hitters, but only one actor evoked the type of reaction that Christopher Nolan hadn’t seen since Heath Ledger and The Dark Knight. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026 Harold & Kumar producer Greg Shapiro confirmed that the fourth instalment of the stoner buddy comedy franchise is still set to go ahead, with key writers and actors all lined up for the upcoming project. — Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 7 July 2026 What has received less attention are the ways that Chinese actors are already exploiting existing AI tools—many of them American—to covertly expand China’s power around the world. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026 The actor also made his directorial debut during the show’s five-season run. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for actor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for actor

Noun

Emma is played by different actresses over the course of the series (Jessica Reynolds, Brenda Blethyn) alongside a cast of talented co-stars.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 12 July 2026
Star Jean Smart is now in line to win her fifth Emmy for the show and her eighth overall, which would put her in a tie for the actress with the most Emmy acting wins in history.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 11 July 2026

Definition of actress

Noun

During play, participants are constantly switching between jogging, sprinting and directional changes, which creates cardiovascular conditioning similar to structured interval training.

— Nicole Williams, AJC.com, 14 July 2026
The club also has a robust membership program, with 880,000 paying participants; a standard membership starts at $25 annually and offers discounts and other perks.

— Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 13 July 2026

Definition of participant

Noun

Van der Velden envisions Tilly not as a single fictional character but as a performer who could appear in anything from a costume drama to a monster movie to a music video.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026
Big Boo actress Lea DeLaria is a standup comedian with a long history as a Broadway performer.

— Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 11 July 2026

Definition of performer

Noun

Expansion opens white space faster than any single player can fill, and wider than any one would sensibly try to cover.

— Charlotte Kiang, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
Two points away from defeat, Ivanisevic rallies to beat Rafter 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 and becomes the second player to win a Wimbledon singles title without being seeded.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Definition of player

Noun

Luckily for all the parents who want to balance constant play with the occasional break from full-time entertainer duties, the CoComelon YouTube channel uploads new videos every week.

— Parents, Parents, 10 July 2026
Instead, Hargitay learned at age 30 that her bio-dad was Italian entertainer Nelson Sardelli — Giovanna Sardelli’s father — with whom Mansfield had a brief relationship while separated from Mickey Hargitay in the early 1960s.

— Martha Ross, Mercury News, 6 July 2026

Definition of entertainer

Noun

Zendaya counted her sixth Emmy nom for the final season of Euphoria with a Best Actress Drama Series nod; the Spider-Man and Dune thespian already has two at home, with Drama Series Actress wins in 2020 and 2022 on HBO’s edgy HBO young-adult series.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 8 July 2026
Here are several of the most impressive ways these actors and their fellow thespians committed to doing their characters justice.

— Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026

Definition of thespian

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activity

actor

actorish

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“Actor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actor. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of actor

noun

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