Euripides

American  

[yoo-rip-i-deez, yuh-] / yʊˈrɪp ɪˌdiz, yə- /

noun

1. c480–406? b.c., Greek dramatist.

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Euripides British  

/ jʊˈrɪpɪˌdiːz /

noun

1. ?480–406 _bc , Greek tragic dramatist. His plays, 18 of which are extant, include Alcestis, Medea, Hippolytus, Hecuba, Trojan Women, Electra, Iphigeneia in Tauris, Iphigeneia in Aulis, and Bacchae

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Euripides Cultural  

1. An ancient Greek dramatist. He was the author of numerous tragedies, including the Bacchae, Medea, and The Trojan Women. He often used the device of deus ex machina (literally, “a god from the machine”) to resolve his plots.

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Today, a “deus ex machina” refers to any person or event that provides a sudden, unexpected solution to a problem or situation.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Euripidean
  adjective

Example Sentences

The matricide trial of Orestes, portrayed as a shining moment for Athens by Aeschylus in “The Oresteia,” becomes a nihilistic farce in the hands of Euripides.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides illuminated how pride, injustice and failed leadership could threaten a community.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2025

Euripides first put Medea on the stage in ancient Greece, and she’s never left it.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 13, 2023

He studied Greek and quoted freely from Homer and Euripides.

From National Geographic • Nov. 16, 2023

Euripides, the youngest, died at the end of the fifth century.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton