Polonius
noun
Po·lo·ni·us
pə-ˈlō-nē-əs 
: a garrulous courtier and father of Ophelia and Laertes in Shakespeare's Hamlet
Examples of Polonius in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Act 2, there are five characters interacting quite quickly with Polonius coming in and Laertes coming in.
—
Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 15 Jan. 2026
Morfydd Clark appears as Ophelia, Joe Alwyn as Laertes, Sheeba Chaddha as Gertrude, Art Malik as Claudius, and Timothy Spall as Polonius.
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
In the drama, Ophelia is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, who falls in love with Prince Hamlet.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
When Polonius later orders her to distance herself from the prince, Ophelia becomes distraught, which is only intensified when Hamlet later kills her father.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 2025
Joe Alwyn stars as Laertes and Morfydd Clark is Ophelia, while Timothy Spall and Sheeba Chaddha feature as Polonius and Gertrude, respectively.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
Ophelia is a young noblewoman whose fate is controlled by three men: Hamlet, the prince; Polonius, her father; and Laertes, her brother.
—Bryan West, The Tennessean, 15 Aug. 2025
Brevity is the soul of wit, as Polonius said in Shakespeare’s classic drama Hamlet.
—Brooklynn Scott, National Review, 22 July 2025
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.
Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 15 Jan. 2026
Morfydd Clark appears as Ophelia, Joe Alwyn as Laertes, Sheeba Chaddha as Gertrude, Art Malik as Claudius, and Timothy Spall as Polonius.
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
In the drama, Ophelia is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, who falls in love with Prince Hamlet.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Oct. 2025
When Polonius later orders her to distance herself from the prince, Ophelia becomes distraught, which is only intensified when Hamlet later kills her father.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 2025
Joe Alwyn stars as Laertes and Morfydd Clark is Ophelia, while Timothy Spall and Sheeba Chaddha feature as Polonius and Gertrude, respectively.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
Ophelia is a young noblewoman whose fate is controlled by three men: Hamlet, the prince; Polonius, her father; and Laertes, her brother.
—Bryan West, The Tennessean, 15 Aug. 2025
Brevity is the soul of wit, as Polonius said in Shakespeare’s classic drama Hamlet.
—Brooklynn Scott, National Review, 22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Polonius.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Polonius. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
