screenwriter

noun

Definition of screenwriternext
as in playwright

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 screenwriter March knew the Hollywood milieu well, having worked as a screenwriter during the transition from silents to talking pictures. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026 Original screenwriter Ana Nogueira remained involved in the post-production process as well. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026 Supergirl screenwriter Ana Nogueira unpacks the major comic-to-screen differences. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 26 June 2026 Howard is a director, producer, screenwriter, and the co-founder and co-chairman of Imagine Entertainment. — Time, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for screenwriter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screenwriter
  1. playwright
  2. scriptwriter
  3. writer
  4. dramatist
  5. scenarist
  6. pen
Noun
  • Inspired by Shakespeare and other great playwrights, his mini-series Fadia deals with honor killings, that darkest of topics, while saying plenty more about society.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 July 2026
  • The local trend has continued, bolstered by new adaptations by popular playwrights such as Jeffrey Hatcher or Ken Ludwig.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026
Definition of playwright
Noun
  • Shanghainese scriptwriter Zhang interwove her personal experience into the script, with more than 50% of the dialogue spoken in the Shanghai dialect.
    — Jenny S. Li, Variety, 12 June 2026
  • Undiluted drama, pure cinema and narratives that even the best scriptwriters in Hollywood would struggle to muster up.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 8 June 2026
Definition of scriptwriter
Noun
  • Inspired by the sensibility of a tantalizingly idiosyncratic writer-performer, the play offered Greenspan the opportunity to star in a Greenspan-esque work not of his own devising.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Every mortgage article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of the products.
    — Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 8 July 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
  • Liberal scenarists will be left wondering what if, though, as Congresswoman Katie Porter will end up notching more than 400,000 votes — enough, potentially, to have given Steyer the win had the fellow liberal Democrat dropped out.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
  • The scenarist of the eternal frontier first had to get there.
    — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 June 2023
Definition of scenarist
Noun
  • Federal officials are using helicopters and ground vehicles to drive the horses into a large catch pen with holding corrals.
    — Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • On July 8, contract workers will use helicopters to round up 500 of the horses and cart them away to holding pens.
    — Steve Searles, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
Definition of pen

Browse Nearby Words

screens (off)
screenwriter
screenwriters
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Screenwriter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screenwriter. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on screenwriter

Nglish: Translation of screenwriter for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about screenwriter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulcrum

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All