as in writers
a person who writes plays
The actor perfectly captured the unique cadences employed by the playwright.
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Recent Examples of playwrights
Starting in 1965, King served as the cultural director of Mobilization for Youth for five years, before founding NFT in 1970 to give a voice primarily to Black playwrights, actors, directors, designers and others in American theaters.
—
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 31 Jan. 2026
The script was written by Wish Collective, a group of five women playwrights.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
In 1972, filmmaker William Greaves reconvened a group of artists and luminaries from the Harlem Renaissance including musicians, playwrights, poets and scholars at Duke Ellington’s townhouse for an afternoon of reminiscing and rumination.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Two suburban groups, Plano’s Rover Dramawerks and MainStage Irving-Las Colinas, are opening the new year with farces by prolific British playwrights that are marked by mistaken identity and other comic twists.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
Hanoi’s grand dame has since survived bombing raids during the Vietnam War and hosted a who’s who of playwrights, royalty and world leaders.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Jan. 2026
Few British playwrights have been compared to Shakespeare, but Tom Stoppard was.
—Lee Cowan, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
The theater has produced several generations of playwrights, including Brian Friel and Conor McPherson, who have helped the Irish public understand the changing nation.
—Talya Zax, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
And, of course, Cook’s regular playwrights around this time—Shepard, Murray Mednick, Tony Barsha, Walter Hadler, Leonard Melfi, and Tom Sankey—were all men.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 31 Jan. 2026
The script was written by Wish Collective, a group of five women playwrights.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
In 1972, filmmaker William Greaves reconvened a group of artists and luminaries from the Harlem Renaissance including musicians, playwrights, poets and scholars at Duke Ellington’s townhouse for an afternoon of reminiscing and rumination.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Two suburban groups, Plano’s Rover Dramawerks and MainStage Irving-Las Colinas, are opening the new year with farces by prolific British playwrights that are marked by mistaken identity and other comic twists.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
Hanoi’s grand dame has since survived bombing raids during the Vietnam War and hosted a who’s who of playwrights, royalty and world leaders.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Jan. 2026
Few British playwrights have been compared to Shakespeare, but Tom Stoppard was.
—Lee Cowan, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
The theater has produced several generations of playwrights, including Brian Friel and Conor McPherson, who have helped the Irish public understand the changing nation.
—Talya Zax, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
And, of course, Cook’s regular playwrights around this time—Shepard, Murray Mednick, Tony Barsha, Walter Hadler, Leonard Melfi, and Tom Sankey—were all men.
—Literary Hub, 12 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playwrights
Noun
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Microsoft recently released a list of the 40 jobs most vulnerable to AI, with translators, sales reps, historians, and writers deemed some of the most affected occupations by generative AI.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
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This is not your usual best-of list, where food writers fly in for a whirlwind weekend of eating and drinking, often relying on the institutional knowledge of the locals who know the scene best.—
Liz Johnson,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The authors speculated that the changes, which lasted for another four weeks after the individuals stopped playing, were partly due to the three-dimensional environment of Super Mario.—
Amanda Gardner,
Martha Stewart,
8 Feb. 2026
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The law’s authors pointed to research showing that the teenage brain is vastly different from an adult’s.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Playwrights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playwrights. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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