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
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
Almost always, Shakespeare’s plays become mirrors when held up to the moments in which they are produced; Ralph Crane the scrivener was only the first among many annotators.
—Cynthia Zarin, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2017
The difference between a merchant’s handwriting and a scrivener’s is clear enough, the one scrawled and bold, the other neat and careful.
—Tim Parks, New York Times, 11 May 2016
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
Almost always, Shakespeare’s plays become mirrors when held up to the moments in which they are produced; Ralph Crane the scrivener was only the first among many annotators.
—Cynthia Zarin, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2017
The difference between a merchant’s handwriting and a scrivener’s is clear enough, the one scrawled and bold, the other neat and careful.
—Tim Parks, New York Times, 11 May 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrivener
Noun
-
Brenda Looper joined the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as a news clerk in April 1997, and worked as a feature writer, reviewer and copy editor on the news side before moving to the opinion section in July 2011.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Ryan Collett is a writer, animator, and knitter.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The scribes replaced by movable type lost their livelihoods, but literacy spread to millions.—
Zack Kass,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Alex LeBrun, cofounder of medical scribe startup Nabla who LeCun hired to be the CEO of Advanced Machine Intelligence, thinks the startup’s new AI models could start to roll out in a year, with healthcare a major focus area.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Heather Rose is the Australian author of seven novels including her latest novel The Museum of Modern Love published this month by Algonquin.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Enjoy engaging book discussions, gentle writing prompts for all levels, and occasional guest authors in a warm, supportive setting.—
Kris Slugg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 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
-
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 29 Jan. 2026.
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