Euripides

American  

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

noun

1. c480–406? b.c., Greek dramatist.

---

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

---

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.

---

Discover More

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

“There’s nobody who’s happy in all things,” according to Nicostratus, paraphrasing Euripides.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

It depicts Dionysus journeying to Hades to retrieve a poet who can help Athens in crisis, culminating in a contest between Aeschylus and Euripides.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2025

Jackson is part of a long tradition of dissenting, critical-minded dramatists, dating back to Euripides and extending through George Bernard Shaw to the present.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2024

He studied Greek and quoted freely from Homer and Euripides.

From National Geographic • Nov. 16, 2023

It is the subject of one of Aeschylus’ plays and one of Euripides’.

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