Othello

American  

[oh-thel-oh, uh-thel-oh] / oʊˈθɛl oʊ, əˈθɛl oʊ /

noun

1. a tragedy (1604) by Shakespeare.

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Othello Cultural  

1. A tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character, a Moor, or dark-skinned Muslim, is a general commanding the forces of Venice. The villain Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona, the general's beautiful and faithful wife, has been guilty of adultery; at the end of the play, Othello smothers Desdemona. A famous line from the play is Othello's description of himself as “one that loved not wisely but too well.”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Othello

He takes no sensual pleasure in his destruction of Othello and Cassio, just the studied satisfaction of a sociopath watching with appreciation, as if from a distance, the malignant results of his handiwork.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Mr. Pierce’s portrayal echoes those words of Iago denying his own identity: Othello is not quite sure who he is.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

Meanwhile, the black ram called Sebastian in the movie is based on Swann’s version, named Othello.

From Salon ● May 17, 2026

He compares his Creasy to Hamlet or Othello.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

Othello, he remembered, was like the hero of Three Weeks in a Helicopter—a black man.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley