playwright

American  

[pley-rahyt] / ˈpleɪˌraɪt /

noun

• playwrights
  plural

1. a writer of plays; dramatist.

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playwright British  

/ ˈpleɪˌraɪt /

noun

1. a person who writes plays

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• playwrights
  plural

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

See Examples For:

playwright playwrights

Auden enjoyed collaborations, frequently teaming up with friends, including the playwright and novelist Christopher Isherwood and the poet Louis MacNeice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

It was translated into English for the first time by playwright George Chapman in the early 17th Century.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Not only does the new version of the story echo Etchell's experience of being dismissed as a young adult, it also reflects the experiences of playwright Tom Wentworth, who is behind the production.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

But it was helpful to see Knud Adams’ nimble production after it transferred to MCC Theater — an ideal introduction to a startlingly original playwright at the dawn of a path-breaking career.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Campbell had been a fairly well-known playwright at one time.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

She wants to allow Nolan creative freedom, knowing that the Greek playwrights rebooted figures like Odysseus and Medea just like Marvel treats Spider-Man.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Soon after, wannabe authoritarians attack the comedians, essayists, playwrights and poets.

From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026

We also spotlight a new generation of playwrights reimagining Americanness with a sense of hope that America’s best years are still ahead of us.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

Lucy Kirkwood, Penelope Skinner, Timberlake Wertenbaker and Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti are also among more than 70 UK-based playwrights taking part.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

She did her graduate work at NYU, and for three weeks the four of us stayed in the city and socialized with her former teachers and classmates—novelists, playwrights, screenwriters, poets.

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven