poet

noun

ˈpō-ət How to pronounce poet (audio)
Definition of poetnext
as in minstrel
a person who writes poetry Emily Dickinson is famous as the poet who rarely left the house but often journeyed to the depths of the human heart

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 poet Born on June 2, 1939, in Charleston, Missouri, Bradford was inspired to be a writer after her idol, poet Robert Frost, visited her high school. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2026 The poet Jack Spicer wrote that poems cannot live alone any more than people can. — Geoffrey O’Brien, The New York Review of Books, 22 Aug. 2026 Before scientists formulated their research, poets and naturalists had fathomed features of this intelligence. — Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2026 In 2000, the crew put on The Word Music, a four-day festival that gathered experimental poets, musicians, and more. — Erika Owen, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for poet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poet
  1. minstrel
  2. muse
  3. bard
Noun
  • Davis shared her thoughts alongside a side-by-side comparison of the costume with 19th-century minstrel imagery, which perpetuated racist stereotypes about Black Americans and involved the use of blackface.
    — Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Retailer Target pulled a children’s Halloween costume from its shelves Monday after widespread social media backlash, apologizing for selling a garment critics said evoked racist minstrel caricatures.
    — Nancy Jiang, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of minstrel
Noun
  • Rusty Chocolate Ella Bright has cemented her status as an eternal fall muse, thanks in no small part to her Off Campus success.
    — Alyssa Rotunno, InStyle, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Grace Jones has been a muse to Azzedine Alaïa, and Tracee Ellis Ross has gone from walking Thierry Mugler’s runway alongside her mother in the ’90s to being an inspiration to designers like Marc Jacobs, our 2026 Style Issue cover star.
    — Vanity Fair, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of muse
Noun
  • Before it was written down, bards recited the adventures of Odysseus and the Greeks orally.
    — Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Nolan sets the tone by opening with a bard (Travis Scott) beginning to tell the tale of the fall of Troy—at least the idealized heroic version that the bard’s audiences are hungry to hear.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of bard

Browse Nearby Words

poesy
poet
poetaster
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Cite this Entry

“Poet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poet. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about poet

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