as in actors
one who acts professionally (as in a play, movie, or television show)
although she's "acted" in a couple of horror movies, I'd hardly call her one of our more promising thespians
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of thespians
Returning cast members include Brooks, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, George Wynder and Daphne Zuniga with new thespians including Gad, Keke Palmer, Lewis Pullman and Anthony Carrigan.
—
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2026
As he's made apparent many times before, Brian Cox is not afraid to share his opinion of his fellow thespians.
—Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Apr. 2026
The world of thespians is dramatic—and not just when performing a play.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
The occasional odd campaign moment and foot-in-mouth gaff didn't help – neither did Jordan getting top honors from his fellow thespians at the Actor Awards.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Be sure to stick around for the twice-daily gunfights staged in the dusty streets by local thespians in 10-gallon hats.
—Zoey Goto, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026
The casting matches the meathead characters visually, but the disproportionate number of objectively bad thespians on Team Thin Blue Line results in an acting performance disparity that’s sometimes brutal to watch as the fighting progresses.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2026
The point is, a whole generation of young British thespians has figured out the one thing almost as good as being cast as James Bond is being rumored for the part.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
Fine Arts Theatre Endowment to give back to Southwest Minnesota State and provide scholarships to aspiring thespians.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 31 Dec. 2025
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2026
As he's made apparent many times before, Brian Cox is not afraid to share his opinion of his fellow thespians.
—Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Apr. 2026
The world of thespians is dramatic—and not just when performing a play.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026
The occasional odd campaign moment and foot-in-mouth gaff didn't help – neither did Jordan getting top honors from his fellow thespians at the Actor Awards.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Be sure to stick around for the twice-daily gunfights staged in the dusty streets by local thespians in 10-gallon hats.
—Zoey Goto, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026
The casting matches the meathead characters visually, but the disproportionate number of objectively bad thespians on Team Thin Blue Line results in an acting performance disparity that’s sometimes brutal to watch as the fighting progresses.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2026
The point is, a whole generation of young British thespians has figured out the one thing almost as good as being cast as James Bond is being rumored for the part.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
Fine Arts Theatre Endowment to give back to Southwest Minnesota State and provide scholarships to aspiring thespians.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thespians
Noun
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That burden, along with the conventions of the true-crime genre, not to mention that of theater in service of a political point, sometimes hampers the interpretive space of the actors and the creative team, who have to spend a lot of their time getting the facts and the history across.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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Because that is what these characters, these actors, this ‘All American’ crew and staff are after eight beautiful, hard fought, seasons together.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Alaska, Hawaiian are consistent performers The AQR also singled out Alaska Airlines as the steadiest performer in the industry.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The nomination was the show’s sole BAFTA TV nod and slots McQueen into a unique piece of BAFTA history as one of the first Jamaican actresses and first Black Trans performer to be nominated for a BAFTA TV award.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2026
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Aside from astronaut Christina Koch, several famous people have this name, including singers Christina Aguilera, Christina Milian, and Christina Perri, as well as actresses Christina Applegate and Christina Ricci.—
Anna Halkidis,
Parents,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thespians.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thespians. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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