as in writers
a person who writes a newspaper or magazine column
The columnist is known to take provocative positions that often shape the opinions of her readers. a gossip columnist
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Recent Examples of columnists
In these essays, our columnists follow their curiosity, and explore important but not necessarily answerable scientific questions.
—
Quanta Magazine, 15 June 2026
Some of Hollywood’s most theatrical scandals were efficiently contained by press agents who nurtured their clout with cops and columnists alike.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 4 June 2026
The two are former columnists at The New York Times, and neither had broadcast television experience before arriving at CBS.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 2 June 2026
Walters is a columnists for CalMatters.
—Dan Walters, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2026
Local residents and columnists have called for improvements, and the issue has drawn attention as the World Cup nears.
—Taylor Haught, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
The Sun’s five-member editorial board consists of Jensen, publisher Trif Alatzas, opinion editor Philip Caldwell, and columnists Torrey Snow and Julian Baron.
—Lily Carey, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2026
The book centers on four gossip columnists — one male, James, and three women — drawn from Shuter’s years in the trade, including his stint as a host on VH1’s The Gossip Table.
—Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2026
Some newspapers run columnists whose voices support and reinforce the philosophy of the publishers; some run columnists that differ with them politically, philosophically, or both, to provide readers a choice of benchmarks against which to measure their own views.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Quanta Magazine, 15 June 2026
Some of Hollywood’s most theatrical scandals were efficiently contained by press agents who nurtured their clout with cops and columnists alike.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 4 June 2026
The two are former columnists at The New York Times, and neither had broadcast television experience before arriving at CBS.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 2 June 2026
Walters is a columnists for CalMatters.
—Dan Walters, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2026
Local residents and columnists have called for improvements, and the issue has drawn attention as the World Cup nears.
—Taylor Haught, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
The Sun’s five-member editorial board consists of Jensen, publisher Trif Alatzas, opinion editor Philip Caldwell, and columnists Torrey Snow and Julian Baron.
—Lily Carey, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2026
The book centers on four gossip columnists — one male, James, and three women — drawn from Shuter’s years in the trade, including his stint as a host on VH1’s The Gossip Table.
—Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2026
Some newspapers run columnists whose voices support and reinforce the philosophy of the publishers; some run columnists that differ with them politically, philosophically, or both, to provide readers a choice of benchmarks against which to measure their own views.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for columnists
Noun
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The lawsuit alleges that the situation escalated in June 2025 when Lowe asked whether the writers’ room would observe Juneteenth.—
Deirdre Durkan,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
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While writers depicted characters of over 49 nationalities and who spoke 20 different languages, most of these characters appeared in only a single episode.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
17 June 2026
Noun
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Greene worries that rising prices and the disappearance of mass-market paperbacks could create a future where fewer readers take chances on unfamiliar authors.—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
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Many more awards were given out to cookbook authors, video producers, podcasters and other journalists.—
General Manager,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Noun
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The text of the 14-point agreement was read by a senior administration official in a call with reporters on Wednesday.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
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Tight end Travis Kelce was on the field for mandatory minicamp after reporters did not see him at the open voluntary sessions, according to Day 1 observations.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
Noun
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Before publishing, journalists reviewed this content in compliance with McClatchy Media’s AI policy.—
Ruyuan Li. Summary produced by AI assistance,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
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For this story, Fortune journalists used generative AI as a research tool.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Columnists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/columnists. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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