Word
playwright
Phoneticsplay·wright
US/ˈpɫeɪˌɹaɪt/
UK/plˈeɪɹaɪt/
Definition
n. a person who writes plays for the theater. You use this word to describe someone whose job is creating stories for actors to perform on stage.
n. a person who writes dramatic literature or plays for theatrical performance.
Examples
“The playwright is attending the opening night of her new show.”
“After years of writing short stories, he found success as a playwright when his first drama was performed in London.”
“Contemporary playwrights often experiment with non-linear narratives and breaking the fourth wall to engage modern audiences who are accustomed to cinematic storytelling techniques.”
Examples
simple
“The playwright is attending the opening night of her new show.”
contextual
“After years of writing short stories, he found success as a playwright when his first drama was performed in London.”
complex
“Contemporary playwrights often experiment with non-linear narratives and breaking the fourth wall to engage modern audiences who are accustomed to cinematic storytelling techniques.”
Usage
Note the spelling of the suffix '-wright' (meaning a maker or builder), which is distinct from the verb 'write'.
Pitfall
playwrite
playwright
Learners often misspell the word as 'playwrite' because it sounds like 'write', but it uses the old English term 'wright' meaning a craftsman.
Real-World Examples
Common in culture writing
“The playwright says he wrote the final monologue during the rehearsals.” “Her father is well-known playwright, actor and producer Tommy McArdle, who spent many years directing RTÉ drama Glenroe.” Etymology
From play + wright (“builder, craftsman”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/playwright