Shakespearean

American  

[sheyk-speer-ee-uhn] / ʃeɪkˈspɪər i ən /

Or Shakespearian

adjective

1. of, relating to, or suggestive of Shakespeare or his works.

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noun

1. a Shakespearean scholar; a specialist in the study of the works of Shakespeare.

Shakespearean British  

/ ʃeɪkˈspɪərɪən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Shakespeare or his works

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noun

1. a student of or specialist in Shakespeare's works

Other Word Forms

• Shakespeareanism noun
• Shakespearianism noun
• half-Shakespearean adjective
• non-Shakespearean adjective
• non-Shakespearian adjective
• post-Shakespearean adjective
• post-Shakespearian adjective
• pre-Shakespearean adjective
• pre-Shakespearian adjective
• pseudo-Shakespearean adjective
• pseudo-Shakespearian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Shakespearean

First recorded in 1810–20; Shakespeare + -an

Example Sentences

Mapplethorpe “approached dressing like living art,” Ms. Smith recalls, leading him to embark on an “aesthetic treasure hunt” to answer “the Shakespearean question: should he or should he not wear three necklaces?”

From The Wall Street Journal

Duesberg’s embrace of a dangerously wrong hypothesis to the point that it destroyed his career is almost a Shakespearean narrative.

From Los Angeles Times

This Shakespearean traveling show, now at the Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood through Saturday, is a daredevil feat of memory, theatrical bravado and cardio fitness.

From Los Angeles Times

But he entertained audiences in many ways, with everything from blatant hoaxes to Shakespearean theater.

From The Wall Street Journal

The show, a touring tutorial he created and performs solo, allows Page the opportunity to animate with barnstorming crackle a rogue’s gallery of Shakespearean scoundrels.

From Los Angeles Times