as in poet
a person who writes poetry
she's a poetaster whose verse never rises above what is found on greeting cards
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Recent Examples of poetaster
Heti’s detractors could probably put a bottle in the middle of a table and entertain themselves reading lines out of context in suave, poetaster voices.
—
New York Times, 7 Feb. 2022
But -aster words have never been particularly common, with the exception of poetaster, an inferior poet.
—Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 June 2018
New York Times, 7 Feb. 2022
But -aster words have never been particularly common, with the exception of poetaster, an inferior poet.
—Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poetaster
Noun
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Arthur Sze is a poet, translator, and editor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
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While the epithet is sometimes attributed to the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Ronda has maintained a romantic aura for centuries, drawing creatives like Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles to its mountaintop setting.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Louis Weslyn and Charles Albert wrote a horrifically racist blackface minstrel song called The Witch Behind the Moon that included lyrics about a Black witch who lived behind the moon and could fly down on her broomstick to snatch up children.—
Time,
Time,
21 Nov. 2025
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Like many such venues across America, the Kempner also hosted lectures, minstrel shows, musicals, operas, plays and vaudeville acts, along with community events such as school graduations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poetaster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poetaster. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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