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 Hansard is survived by his wife, poet Maire Saaritsa, and 4-year-old son, Christy. — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 31 July 2026 Verses of the Urdu poets Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib – long associated with protest movements across South Asia – play from a speaker nearby. — Aakash Hassan, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026 Woolf, who desired a palate cleanser after finishing her experimental novel The Waves, focused her energies on the life story of the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s cocker spaniel. — Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026 Nund Rishi was influenced in part by the 14th-century Shaiva Hindu mystic and poet Lal Ded, one of Kashmir’s most revered spiritual figures. — Peter Dziedzic, The Conversation, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for poet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poet
  1. minstrel
  2. muse
  3. bard
Noun
  • The musician-scholar Rhiannon Giddens, a leading interpreter of 19th-century American songs, told me that discussing Foster’s context is difficult because minstrel entertainment is so little understood today.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
  • They were published in the North and South, performed in racist minstrel shows and polite parlors, and sung by abolitionists and defenders of enslavement alike.
    — Christopher Lynch, The Conversation, 1 July 2026
Definition of minstrel
Noun
  • Ovington Gardens and Ovington Square have attracted several big-name residents over the years, including Oscar Wilde, Queen Elizabeth’s cousin Ernestine Bowes-Lyon, and Coco Chanel’s muse Vera Bate Lombardi.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 5 Aug. 2026
  • And with Molly Ringwald as his muse, Hughes’s directorial debut established his gift for frank and empathetic tales of adolescent crushes and high school social hierarchies.
    — Al Shipley, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of muse
Noun
  • 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
  • On Thursday, in a more relaxed setting, Payton became a bard, rattling off tales that will no doubt have a place in next week’s tribute for Brees.
    — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 30 July 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 8 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on poet

Nglish: Translation of poet for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about poet

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