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

Wildly digressive, buzzing with literary allusions and telling its story as a 20th-century Shakespearean tragedy, the book has some of the mad, restless energy of Sellers himself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

The Milan-Cortina Games represented seemingly every Shakespearean theme.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

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 • Feb. 3, 2026

His catered to families, was one of the first in the nation to offer matinees, and showed entertainment like temperance-themed plays and edited versions of historical and Shakespearean plays.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 25, 2026

The only character I recognized was Hamlet, who went off on Mr. Price in Shakespearean talk.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds