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

Did Euripides mean this last, bizarre twist to inspire hope, or despair?

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Pochoda offers a twisty, modern take on Euripides, set at a luxurious 21st-century Greek resort.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2025

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

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2025

He studied Greek and quoted freely from Homer and Euripides.

From National Geographic • Nov. 16, 2023

Similar numbers apply to the works of Aeschylus and Euripides.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan