Charles, born 1935, U.S. poet.
Frances or Fanny, 1795–1852, U.S. abolitionist and social reformer, born in Scotland.
Frank Lloyd, 1867–1959, U.S. architect.
James, 1927–80, U.S. poet and translator.
Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734–97, English painter.
Joseph, 1855–1935, English philologist and lexicographer.
Mary Kathryn Mickey, born 1935, U.S. golfer.
Orville 1871–1948, and his brother Wilbur, 1867–1912, U.S. aeronautical inventors.
Richard, 1908–60, U.S. novelist.
Russel 1904–76, U.S. industrial designer.
Willard Huntington S. S. Van Dine, 1888–1939, U.S. journalist, critic, and author.
a male given name.
Frank Lloyd. 1869–1959, US architect, whose designs include the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo (1916), the Guggenheim Museum, New York (1943), and many private houses. His "organic architecture" sought a close relationship between buildings and their natural surroundings
Joseph, known as Wright of Derby . 1734–97, British painter, noted for his paintings of industrial and scientific subjects, esp The Orrery (?1765) and The Air Pump (1768)
Joseph. 1855–1930, British philologist; editor of The English Dialect Dictionary (1898–1905)
Judith ( Arundel ). 1915–2000, Australian poet, critic, and conservationist. Her collections of poetry include The Moving Image (1946), Woman to Man (1949), and A Human Pattern (1990)
Richard. 1908–60, US Black novelist and short-story writer, best known for the novel Native Son (1940)
Wilbur (1867–1912) and his brother, Orville (1871–1948), US aviation pioneers, who designed and flew the first powered aircraft (1903)
William, known as Billy . 1924–94, English footballer: winner of 105 caps
before 900; Middle English; Old English wryhta, metathetic variant of wyrhta “worker”; akin to work
If you make a living building furniture out of wood, you can call yourself a wright, which is an old fashioned way to say "maker or builder." You're more likely to see the word wright in combination with other words than on its own these days. Some common examples are playwright and wheelwright, or in other words, makers of plays and wheels. The origin of wright is the Old English wryhta, or "someone who works with wood." Originally, a wright was specifically a wood worker, but later it grew to include many different kinds of professions.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright told ABC News’ This Week that oil and gas prices “will continue to head down.”
From Barron's • Jun. 21, 2026
Energy Secretary Chris Wright told ABC News’ This Week that oil and gas prices “will continue to head down.”
From Barron's • Jun. 21, 2026
Wright Electric CEO Jeff Engler says his company, like Material, focuses on the military as the best customer for the expensive, still-nascent “ultra high-performance” 3-D-printed batteries.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
Katie Wright, who books sports events for Anaheim’s tourism bureau, said there would be a market if her city built a sports park.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
“There’s enough to make yourself a nice dress. I checked with the lady at the fabric counter. And Mrs. Wright said you could use her machine,” Henry said.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
