playwright

American  

[pley-rahyt] / ˈpleɪˌraɪt /

noun

1. a writer of plays; dramatist.

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playwright British  

/ ˈpleɪˌraɪt /

noun

1. a person who writes plays

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Etymology

Origin of playwright

First recorded in 1680–90; play + wright

Example Sentences

Siena Foster-Soltis, playwright: Taix felt like one of the few remnants of the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

What is a “moth day”? Maybe I will borrow from Mr. Shawn, an otherwise often-cryptic playwright, and just say that it’s not a synonym for birthday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

His performance in Horton Foote's one-act play The Midnight Caller led the playwright to recommend him for the role of Boo Radley in the 1962 film version of To Kill a Mockingbird.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

“There are only two actors in America,” he told playwright David Mamet years later.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

Therefore I propose that someone with a keen sense of the theatrical, a talent for mimicry and improvising dialogue—a playwright, perhaps?—be engaged as an understudy to the ghost, as it were.”

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood