playwright

noun

play·​wright ˈplā-ˌrīt How to pronounce playwright (audio)
Synonyms of playwright
: a person who writes plays

Examples of playwright 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.
And very few other Minnesota Fringe playwrights take creative dramatic swings quite like Mariabella Sorini and Alex Church. — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026 Ultimately, the playwright is more interested in the vulnerability and fragility of these characters than their shouty strengths. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026 While Homer followed warriors sailing home from Troy, the playwright Euripides — writing some three centuries later — turned to the city’s ruins and its women, forced into exile and enslavement. — ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026 With Before Night Falls (2000), Schnabel tackled the life of poet-playwright Reinaldo Arenas and his struggles as a gay man in the Cuba of the 1960s and ’70s. — A.d. Amorosi, SPIN, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for playwright

Word History

Etymology

play entry 2 + obsolete wright maker — more at wright

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of playwright was in 1605

Rhymes for playwright

See All Rhymes for playwright

Browse Nearby Words

play with words/language
playwright
playwriting
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Playwright.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playwright. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

playwright

noun
play·​wright ˈplā-ˌrīt How to pronounce playwright (audio)
: a person who writes plays
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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