1
as in calligraphers
one who writes from dictation or copies manuscripts
variations between the different manuscripts attest to the fallibility of the scribes who transmitted them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in clerks
an official whose job is to keep records
the scribe keeps the minutes of the club's meetings
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in writers
a person who creates a written work
a book of dusty poems by some now-forgotten scribe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of scribes
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2026
Maritime and overland trade linked blacksmiths, scribes, religious scholars, bead makers, silk weavers and tattoo artists.
—R. Alexander Bentley, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2026
Studies estimate that European scribes produced approximately 11 million books over the 900 years before the printing press.
—Big Think, 9 Feb. 2026
This was common practice in ancient times, as parchments were expensive, leading scribes to reuse old manuscripts to archive new information.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 3 Feb. 2026
Does the use of ambient AI scribes improve patient care and health outcomes?
—Michelle Andrews, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2026
The scribes replaced by movable type lost their livelihoods, but literacy spread to millions.
—Zack Kass, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
On the television side, the scribes sold Misfit City to HBO Max, with Boom!
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
Catullus’s poems disappeared from the Western canon for centuries (likely because medieval Christian scribes avoided copying lurid pagan texts) yet were rediscovered and reprinted in the Renaissance, and are still alive millennia later, when would-be censors are long forgotten.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
Wise-cracking scribes wanted changes.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2026
Maritime and overland trade linked blacksmiths, scribes, religious scholars, bead makers, silk weavers and tattoo artists.
—R. Alexander Bentley, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2026
Studies estimate that European scribes produced approximately 11 million books over the 900 years before the printing press.
—Big Think, 9 Feb. 2026
This was common practice in ancient times, as parchments were expensive, leading scribes to reuse old manuscripts to archive new information.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 3 Feb. 2026
Does the use of ambient AI scribes improve patient care and health outcomes?
—Michelle Andrews, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2026
The scribes replaced by movable type lost their livelihoods, but literacy spread to millions.
—Zack Kass, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
On the television side, the scribes sold Misfit City to HBO Max, with Boom!
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
Catullus’s poems disappeared from the Western canon for centuries (likely because medieval Christian scribes avoided copying lurid pagan texts) yet were rediscovered and reprinted in the Renaissance, and are still alive millennia later, when would-be censors are long forgotten.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
Verb
But this award, which was inaugurated in 2023 with a Jesso win, circles the same handful of writers, and country scribes like Jessie Jo Dillon, pop bards like Amy Allen, and reggaeton men-at-arms like Edgar Barrera are just as up next.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scribes
Noun
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Founded in the 10th century, this complex of churches was a crucible of wisdom for calligraphers, philosophers and illuminators.—
Marlise Kast-Myers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Mustapha comes from a family of Islamic scholars and calligraphers.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
West, in an interview Monday, said the arrangement keeps each party in charge of its primary and avoids friction that has occurred when clerks from different parties worked side by side.—
Tracey McManus,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Feb. 2026
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During the probe, investigators discovered clerks working for several tag agencies illegally accessed drivers’ personal and confidential information from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Along with narrative accounts of the mistakes of Lynton, Steiner and others, the book weaves in academic research and the wisdom of writers and artists through the centuries.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
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After arriving on Netflix and Peacock, the flagship show unexpectedly broke streaming records and topped Nielsen's streaming charts for months on end in the midst of the Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes essentially halting production and postproduction on new shows.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The rules get even tougher once a policyholder files a lawsuit, or an insurer reasonably believes a lawsuit could be filed.—
Ron Hurtibise,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The utility also does not set or raise utility prices on its own, the statement said, and the company files rates with the IURC.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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And in ordinary academic buildings and offices tucked up in the corners of the athletic department, university registrars and academic advisors were setting their hair on fire, trying to figure out how to approve transcripts and shoehorn new students into classes that were already full.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
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Advertisement For the next several years, activists knocked on the doors of sharecroppers and drove folks to county registrars’ offices, often facing denials or delays, arrests, and violence.—
Time,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Its authors tell in previously unheard detail how Cardinal Robert Prevost, a low-key Augustinian friar from Chicago, had quietly garnered support from fellow cardinals as the conclave got underway but remained under the radar of wider attention as a serious candidate.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
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Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.—
Mia Sato,
The Verge,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Keep clean door mats inside and outside entrance areas to trap gritty dirt that scratches floors.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Records of this meeting clearly indicate that each of these was in dire need of snuggling, as well as Cabinet-level scratches underneath its ears.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The mere departure of cabinet secretaries does not wipe the slate clean by any means.—
Steve Arentz,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Top Cabinet secretaries often complete the rounds of the shows, racing from studio to studio or video appearance to video appearance.—
Garrett Downs,Greg Iacurci,Azhar Sukri,Spriha Srivastava,Emma Graham,Lee Ying Shan,Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scribes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scribes. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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