1
as in writer
a person who creates a written work
the roomful of unsung scriveners that it takes to churn out a weekly sitcom
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2
as in scribe
one who writes from dictation or copies manuscripts
the details of the contract were worked out by a lawyer, I being involved with it merely as a scrivener
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Recent Examples of scrivener
Dillon argued that what Smith did was a scrivener’s error and doesn’t rise to the level of fraud.
—
Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
But in Doerfler’s estimation, the absence of a deportation order in Abrego Garcia’s case is no scrivener’s error.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
Zach Thomas Woods infuses zany comic energy into Edgar, a young Scottish lawyer and scrivener (a copier of documents), sternly religious but desperately horny and infatuated with Ruth.
—Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2023
The name of the candidate omitted in the Voter Guide is highlighted in red to emphasize the scrivener’s error.
—chicagotribune.com, 25 Mar. 2021
Her narrator’s final gesture, transforming herself into a piece of half-living art, echoes the odd and combative passivity of Herman Melville’s Bartleby, a scrivener who suddenly, inexplicably, refuses to perform his duties.
—Alexandra Kleeman, Vanities, 2 July 2018
In the short story by Herman Melville from which our new column takes its name, Bartleby was a scrivener—a dying art, nowadays.
—The Economist, 26 May 2018
Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
But in Doerfler’s estimation, the absence of a deportation order in Abrego Garcia’s case is no scrivener’s error.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
Zach Thomas Woods infuses zany comic energy into Edgar, a young Scottish lawyer and scrivener (a copier of documents), sternly religious but desperately horny and infatuated with Ruth.
—Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2023
The name of the candidate omitted in the Voter Guide is highlighted in red to emphasize the scrivener’s error.
—chicagotribune.com, 25 Mar. 2021
Her narrator’s final gesture, transforming herself into a piece of half-living art, echoes the odd and combative passivity of Herman Melville’s Bartleby, a scrivener who suddenly, inexplicably, refuses to perform his duties.
—Alexandra Kleeman, Vanities, 2 July 2018
In the short story by Herman Melville from which our new column takes its name, Bartleby was a scrivener—a dying art, nowadays.
—The Economist, 26 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrivener
Noun
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Lorne Michaels is executive producing the show, and Variety reported that Michaels and SNL alum Seth Meyers have recently been in London observing table reads as the cast and writers prepare for the premiere.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
18 Mar. 2026
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Every personal finance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products.—
Ryley Amond,Jason Stauffer,
CNBC,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Olivier, as the resident ØWay scribe, would people care if 2Slimey was one of those model-rappers like Pz’?—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
13 Mar. 2026
-
When her favorite horror scribe gets into an accident near her home, Wilkes ends up kidnapping Sheldon, and the rest is movie history.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Actor Issa Rae, musician Bela Fleck and author Louise Penny were among the numerous artists who withdrew from appearances, while consultants such as musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 Mar. 2026
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Easier, maybe, to imagine Blume rejecting the general proposition of an author biography, which seeks to root a subject’s work in their specific experiences, dislodging them from a supposedly neutral or unmarked position.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Groff, the three-time National Book Award finalist and best-selling author, wrote the libretto with Doraiswamy and served as a kind of amanuensis to the production.—
Laura van Straaten,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
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The journalist’s tone was snarky, but there were some direct quotes from my father’s amanuenses.—
Sage Mehta,
The New Yorker,
7 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Scrivener.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrivener. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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