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

Explanation

A playwright is someone who writes plays. Playwrights are also known as dramatists. Just as a poet writes poems, a playwright writes plays. If the spelling of playwright looks odd, that's because wright is a word for a craftsperson or someone who builds things (like a shipwright builds ships). Given the juggling of characters, scenes, and plots in a play, you can see how writing a play is like building something. The most famous playwright ever in English is William Shakespeare.

Example Sentences

A separate auction from the company Heritage included a Christian Dior skirt that Monroe wore on her honeymoon and a letter from her husband playwright Arthur Miller.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

It’s an adaptation of David Haig’s play of the same name, in which the playwright himself portrayed Stagg.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

New York’s Classic Stage Company mounts the unfinished drama that the Pulitzer winner worked on during the final decades of his life, in a muddled version ‘completed’ by playwright Kirk Lynn.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

The book beat out a story about a suburban witch by French novelist and playwright Marie NDiaye as well as Brazilian Ana Paula Maia's dystopian read about a brutal prison colony.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

“A wheelwright or a shipwright makes more money than a playwright, ” Anne told William. pneumonia.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner