playwright

noun

Definition of playwrightnext
as in writer
a person who writes plays The actor perfectly captured the unique cadences employed by the playwright.

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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 playwright Instead, the company’s mission is to create opportunities for new playwrights, directors and actors. — Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026 In the beginning, there was Molière (1622—1673), a popular French playwright known for penning comedies like Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, and Les Fourberies de Scapin, and often acting in them. — Lonnie Burstein Hewitt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 July 2026 Mighton began tutoring children in math to support himself financially as a playwright. — Jacqueline Weiss, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026 It will be directed by Saheem Ali, of the Tony-winning Buena Vista Social Club; written by Dogfight playwright Peter Duchan; and choreographed by Ebony Williams, who worked on Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour. — Alex Suskind, Pitchfork, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for playwright
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playwright
  1. writer
  2. dramatist
  3. screenwriter
  4. author
Noun
  • Contributing Writer Laura Itzkowitz is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for covering travel, arts and culture, lifestyle, design, food, and wine.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Ahmed Naji is a bilingual writer, journalist, documentary filmmaker, and official criminal from Egypt.
    — Sabrina Jaszi, The Dial, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of writer
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
  • Anna Juul is a screenwriter and novelist, satirist and board member with the Danish Mental Health Fund.
    — Sabrina Jaszi, The Dial, 4 Aug. 2026
  • John Logan, the Skyfall and Michael screenwriter who also created the Showtime series Penny Dreadful, created the series and will serve as showrunner.
    — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of screenwriter
Noun
  • Unlike the low-tech solution in American author Mary Mapes Dodge's 19th-century story, modern dike patrols are able to plot possible problems caused by drought in an app and send it to authorities who can then quickly carry our repairs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of The Power of Habit, which spent over three years on bestseller lists and has been translated into 40 languages, and Smarter Faster Better, also a bestseller.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of author

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play (with)
playwright
playwrights
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Cite this Entry

“Playwright.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playwright. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on playwright

Nglish: Translation of playwright for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about playwright

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