Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words
1

Shakespearean

adjective Shake·spear·ean
variants: or Shakespearian or less commonly Shaksperean or Shaksperian play \shāk-ˈspir-ē-ən\

Definition of Shakespearean

1 :of, relating to, or having the characteristics of Shakespeare or his writings
2 :evocative of a theme, setting, or event from a work of Shakespeare
  • Shakespearean pageantry

See Shakespearean defined for English-language learners

See Shakespearean defined for kids

Explore Merriam-Webster

hempen-homespun
7 Shakespearean Insults to Make Life More Interesting
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
alt-59bab5dbb4997
Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

First Known Use of shakespearean

1755

2

Shakespearean

noun
variants: or Shakespearian or less commonly Shaksperean or Shaksperian

Definition of Shakespearean

:an authority on or devotee of Shakespeare

First Known Use of shakespearean

1837

SHAKESPEAREAN Defined for English Language Learners

Shakespearean

adjective

Definition of Shakespearean for English Language Learners

  • : of or relating to William Shakespeare or his writings

Learn More about shakespearean

  1. See words that rhyme with Shakespearean Britannica English: Translation of Shakespearean for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up Shakespearean? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

glabrous

play

smooth or hairless

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  2. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

  3. allegory No spoilers!

  4. hurricane 'A tropical cyclone'

  5. rescind To take away; cancel; repeal

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Shakespearean

Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

  • stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
  • Which is a synonym of fuliginous?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc
"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

alt-59bff395cf879
What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

Its recent usage is hard to shrug off.

alt-59bad350d88f1
Welcome to the New Words

From 'hive mind' to 'sriracha'

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
name-that-color-logo
Name that Color!

NEW! Additional colors! More obscure than before!

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game