playwright

American  

[pley-rahyt] / ˈpleɪˌraɪt /

noun

1. a writer of plays; dramatist.

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playwright British  

/ ˈpleɪˌraɪt /

noun

1. a person who writes plays

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Etymology

Origin of playwright

First recorded in 1680–90; play + wright

Explanation

A playwright is someone who writes plays. Playwrights are also known as dramatists. Just as a poet writes poems, a playwright writes plays. If the spelling of playwright looks odd, that's because wright is a word for a craftsperson or someone who builds things (like a shipwright builds ships). Given the juggling of characters, scenes, and plots in a play, you can see how writing a play is like building something. The most famous playwright ever in English is William Shakespeare.

Example Sentences

Playwright Erin Courtney, who first encountered Adams at Clubbed Thumb, is working with him, in conjunction with the National Asian American Theatre Company, on her new play “Begin, Again.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

She eventually landed in New York, working at Playwright Horizons, an off-Broadway theater.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 29, 2025

Playwright turned writer-director Celine Song follows her Oscar-nominated debut “Past Lives” with a story that, from the outside, seems like another New York-set love triangle.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2025

Playwright John Godber has led tributes to "formidable force" Mike Bradwell, a theatre director and actor, who has died at the age of 77.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2025

Who cares if Mrs. Windermere was taking forever being The Playwright out in the lobby?

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt