ESSAYIST Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

essayist

noun

Definition of essayist

as in novelist

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

nonauthor

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 essayist Kramer, a playwright and essayist who had been covering AIDS since the beginning through journalism, had co-founded the non-profit Gay Men’s Health Crisis in 1982. — Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 3 June 2026 Senna is a novelist and essayist. — Time, 27 May 2026 Gabrielle Glancy is a poet, novelist, and essayist whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and The American Poetry Review. — Gabrielle Glancy, Rolling Stone, 9 May 2026 As a poet, novelist, and essayist, Wendell Berry is one of the great modern voices of agrarian values. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for essayist

Recent Examples of Synonyms for essayist

Noun

Bestselling thriller novelist Andrea Bartz first brought the suit with two other authors in 2024.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
The novel, per its synopsis, follows the son of a famed novelist, who leaves behind an unfinished manuscript after his death.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026

Definition of novelist

Noun

The theater was built by songwriter, dramatist and playwright Arthur Hammerstein to honor his father, Oscar Hammerstein I, and opened as Hammerstein’s Theater in 1927.

— Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 22 May 2026
In transcripts of hearings of the notorious House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), Garber finds an upwelling of voices from the literary past, among them Christopher Marlowe, the revenge dramatist Thomas Kyd, and, from first to last, Shakespeare, Shakespeare, Shakespeare.

— Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026

Definition of dramatist

Noun

To be a good poet or pamphleteer, like Thomas Paine or Samuel Johnson, requires a kind of day-to-day daring, with triumphs made in conversation and correspondence; a good banker or stockbroker makes his in columns of numbers.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2026
Even when insulted or thwarted – by Spanish intrigues on the Florida frontier, by British seizures in the Caribbean, by pamphleteers accusing him of being a monarch in disguise – Washington’s tone remained measured.

— Washington Post, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2026

Definition of pamphleteer

Noun

Indigenous filmmakers and screen storytellers often feel pressure to burn sage and show feathers, Riedel says.

— Jennie Punter, Variety, 21 July 2026
Travis Scott as the Bard Travis Scott makes his acting debut as the bard — the ancient Greek storyteller whose voice opens the film.

— Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026

Definition of storyteller

Noun

Harvey is a comedian and satirist who, as Count Binface, has run against three prime ministers in the past decade.

— Fatima Al-Kassab, NPR, 10 July 2026
Comedian and political satirist Bill Maher, center left, applauds for John Mellencamp during the 27th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Bill Maher.

— Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Definition of satirist

Noun

MobLand showrunner and The Agency co-creator Jez Butterworth created the project alongside his brother, The Agency co-creator and Edge of Tomorrow screenwriter John-Henry Butterworth, as well as The 100 producer Georgia Lee.

— Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026
Yeung is known as a screenwriter with credits including Hong Kong Family, which was selected at the 27th Busan International Film Festival, and award-winning short films Liu Yang He and Wild Child.

— Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 22 July 2026

Definition of screenwriter

Browse Nearby Words

essaying

essayist

essayists

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Essayist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/essayist. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of essayist

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on essayist

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

itinerant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes