as in writers
a person who writes plays
The actor perfectly captured the unique cadences employed by the playwright.
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Recent Examples of playwrights
Hartford Stage announced a lineup for its 2026-27 season on Friday that continues the theater’s recent fascination with horror fiction, classic world drama, great American playwrights and new works.
—
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
How the Script Walks a Tonal Tightrope Radcliffe credited playwrights Macmillan and Donahoe with building a structure that lets the performer pivot rapidly between the heavy and the silly.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2026
If the surprisingly rough-and-tumble world of 16th-century playwrights doesn’t immediately compel you, know that this is the kind of book in which every page is filled with an unexpected twist or insight (however speculative or hard to prove these conclusions may turn out to be).
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
Over the decades, the contest has become a launchpad for many professional playwrights who had their first plays staged at the San Diego festival, including Karen Hartman, Josefina López, Annie Weisman and Lauren Yee.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Poets and playwrights worked alongside speechwriters on his staff.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026
Each summer, the 24 Hour Plays brings together early-career actors, directors, playwrights, producers, composers, designers and stage managers for their annual free professional intensive, culminating in their own production of the plays in an Off-Broadway theater.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
In 1972, filmmaker William Greaves reconvened a group of artists and luminaries from the Harlem Renaissance including musicians, playwrights, poets and scholars at Duke Ellington’s townhouse for an afternoon of reminiscing and rumination.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Two suburban groups, Plano’s Rover Dramawerks and MainStage Irving-Las Colinas, are opening the new year with farces by prolific British playwrights that are marked by mistaken identity and other comic twists.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
How the Script Walks a Tonal Tightrope Radcliffe credited playwrights Macmillan and Donahoe with building a structure that lets the performer pivot rapidly between the heavy and the silly.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2026
If the surprisingly rough-and-tumble world of 16th-century playwrights doesn’t immediately compel you, know that this is the kind of book in which every page is filled with an unexpected twist or insight (however speculative or hard to prove these conclusions may turn out to be).
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
Over the decades, the contest has become a launchpad for many professional playwrights who had their first plays staged at the San Diego festival, including Karen Hartman, Josefina López, Annie Weisman and Lauren Yee.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Poets and playwrights worked alongside speechwriters on his staff.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026
Each summer, the 24 Hour Plays brings together early-career actors, directors, playwrights, producers, composers, designers and stage managers for their annual free professional intensive, culminating in their own production of the plays in an Off-Broadway theater.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
In 1972, filmmaker William Greaves reconvened a group of artists and luminaries from the Harlem Renaissance including musicians, playwrights, poets and scholars at Duke Ellington’s townhouse for an afternoon of reminiscing and rumination.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Two suburban groups, Plano’s Rover Dramawerks and MainStage Irving-Las Colinas, are opening the new year with farces by prolific British playwrights that are marked by mistaken identity and other comic twists.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playwrights
Noun
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Where writers and audiences encounter each other directly—not through algorithms, but through dialogue.—
Julie Finch,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
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Today, ghostwriting usually involves collaborations between professional writers and celebrities or professionals who otherwise wouldn’t have the time, skill or connections to write a book.—
Emily Hodgson Anderson,
The Conversation,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This gap has real consequences, the authors argue.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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Now, agents field interest from sometimes dozens of potential buyers, and authors can pick the deal most appealing to them.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Playwrights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playwrights. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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