Brechtian

adjective

Brecht·​ian ˈbreḵ-tē-ən How to pronounce Brechtian (audio)
ˈbrek-
: of, relating to, or suggestive of Bertolt Brecht or his writings
especially : evoking the postmodern irony, confrontational humor, or leftist politics of Brecht's poetry and plays
… a deliberately Brechtian set, eliminating the artificial barrier between the audience and the actors. —Lewis Beale

Examples of Brechtian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
There is a Brechtian sort of satisfaction in watching Isseks discuss cinematic vocabulary within a documentary that employs that very language. — Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025 Yet both won Oliviers, and so did the deliberately alienating productions, designed in the Brechtian manner to keep you at an emotional distance. — Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025 But some of the show’s Brechtian self-awareness works quite well, giving Chess a giddy shiver of the prescient or the eternal. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Brechtian was in 1935

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Brecht
Brechtian
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Cite this Entry

“Brechtian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Brechtian. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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