1
as in calligraphers
one who writes from dictation or copies manuscripts
variations between the different manuscripts attest to the fallibility of the scribes who transmitted them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in clerks
an official whose job is to keep records
the scribe keeps the minutes of the club's meetings
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in writers
a person who creates a written work
a book of dusty poems by some now-forgotten scribe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scribes
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
Wise-cracking scribes wanted changes.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2026
Maritime and overland trade linked blacksmiths, scribes, religious scholars, bead makers, silk weavers and tattoo artists.
—R. Alexander Bentley, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2026
Studies estimate that European scribes produced approximately 11 million books over the 900 years before the printing press.
—Big Think, 9 Feb. 2026
This was common practice in ancient times, as parchments were expensive, leading scribes to reuse old manuscripts to archive new information.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 3 Feb. 2026
Does the use of ambient AI scribes improve patient care and health outcomes?
—Michelle Andrews, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2026
The scribes replaced by movable type lost their livelihoods, but literacy spread to millions.
—Zack Kass, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
Catullus’s poems disappeared from the Western canon for centuries (likely because medieval Christian scribes avoided copying lurid pagan texts) yet were rediscovered and reprinted in the Renaissance, and are still alive millennia later, when would-be censors are long forgotten.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
Weir’s comments had earlier drawn ire from scribes including Don Winslow, the author behind the source material for Crime 101.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
Wise-cracking scribes wanted changes.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2026
Maritime and overland trade linked blacksmiths, scribes, religious scholars, bead makers, silk weavers and tattoo artists.
—R. Alexander Bentley, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2026
Studies estimate that European scribes produced approximately 11 million books over the 900 years before the printing press.
—Big Think, 9 Feb. 2026
This was common practice in ancient times, as parchments were expensive, leading scribes to reuse old manuscripts to archive new information.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 3 Feb. 2026
Does the use of ambient AI scribes improve patient care and health outcomes?
—Michelle Andrews, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2026
The scribes replaced by movable type lost their livelihoods, but literacy spread to millions.
—Zack Kass, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026
Catullus’s poems disappeared from the Western canon for centuries (likely because medieval Christian scribes avoided copying lurid pagan texts) yet were rediscovered and reprinted in the Renaissance, and are still alive millennia later, when would-be censors are long forgotten.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
Verb
But this award, which was inaugurated in 2023 with a Jesso win, circles the same handful of writers, and country scribes like Jessie Jo Dillon, pop bards like Amy Allen, and reggaeton men-at-arms like Edgar Barrera are just as up next.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scribes
Noun
-
Founded in the 10th century, this complex of churches was a crucible of wisdom for calligraphers, philosophers and illuminators.—
Marlise Kast-Myers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Mustapha comes from a family of Islamic scholars and calligraphers.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Black said his research found older judges rely more on their clerks - and might need more support from colleagues.—
Carrie Johnson,
NPR,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Of those, 65 passed, but clerks at six places sold the tobacco, and they were cited.—
Clifford Ward,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Some of those writers enjoy long, successful careers.—
Stephanie Burt,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
-
But most writers, even those adversely affected, are quick to point out that the writing was on the wall well before the strikes.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Her lawyer, Daniel Malakauskas, files the suits using the same script, with the business name and specific violations swapped out.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The first batch At the statutory deadline for making the Epstein files public, the Justice Department released only some of them.—
Jennifer Peltz,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And in ordinary academic buildings and offices tucked up in the corners of the athletic department, university registrars and academic advisors were setting their hair on fire, trying to figure out how to approve transcripts and shoehorn new students into classes that were already full.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Advertisement For the next several years, activists knocked on the doors of sharecroppers and drove folks to county registrars’ offices, often facing denials or delays, arrests, and violence.—
Time,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In the meantime, the authors estimate that fast-food prices are up 8% to 12% since September 2023.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Skyhorse authors are frequent guests on the MAHA Action Media Hub, a livestreamed show that Lyons hosts every Wednesday afternoon.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That only scratches the surface of Dolphins possibilities in free agency.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Keep clean door mats inside and outside entrance areas to trap gritty dirt that scratches floors.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The six permanent members are the secretaries of the interior, agriculture and Army; the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, and the administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.—
Dan Salas,
The Conversation,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Ysursa is one of nine former secretaries of state who filed an amicus brief in federal court, arguing against the administration’s demands for full voter information.—
Audrey Dutton,
ProPublica,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scribes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scribes. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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