screenwriting

noun

screen·​writ·​ing ˈskrēn-ˌrī-tiŋ 

: the writing of screenplays : the activity or occupation of a screenwriter

He studied … screenwriting at film school …

—Eileen Cartter

Another friend called to borrow a how-to book on screenwriting. "You want to write a screenplay?" I asked her.

—Ann Hood

After graduating, she is cast in a film that leads to a successful career in screenwriting.

—Maylee Chai

Examples of screenwriting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dan Gregor & Doug Mand, the screenwriting duo behind 2025’s reboot of The Naked Gun, are penning Crazy Taxi. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026

Come for the deep dive into mankind’s favorite building material, stay for his detours into everything from Hallmark screenwriting tropes to the lost Yuletide recordings of the late DMX. — A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026

Miller’s first screenwriting credit, per IMDb, was on 1977’s The Black Pearl. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026

Participants are required to have work experience on at least one film, mostly in the fields of production, direction, acting, screenwriting, cinematography or sound. — Marcelo Cajueiro, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined above