Euripides

American  

[yoo-rip-i-deez, yuh-] / jʊˈrɪp ɪˌdiz, jə- /

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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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

• Euripidean
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Euripides

In the viral review by Wilson, who also translated Seneca and Euripides, as well as Homer’s “Iliad,” she likened Nolan’s nearly three-hour epic to Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “Game of Thrones.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

Awosanmi also served as the stage director for "Medaaye", an African adaptation of the Greek tragedy "Medea" by Euripides.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

But while the bloody rites of the original Euripides are at the heart of the tale, this version is so relentlessly digressive and irreverent that it plays more like parody than tragedy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025

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

Euripides gives the best account of the festival of Hyacinthus; Apollodorus and Ovid both tell his story.

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