Sophocles

American  

[sof-uh-kleez] / ˈsɒf əˌkliz /

noun

1. 495?–406? b.c., Greek dramatist.

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Sophocles British  

/ ˈsɒfəˌkliːz, ˌsɒfəˈkliːən /

noun

1. ?496–406 _bc , Greek dramatist; author of seven extant tragedies: Ajax, Antigone, Oedipus Rex, Trachiniae, Electra, Philoctetes , and Oedipus at Colonus

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Sophocles Cultural  

1. An ancient Greek poet, author of Oedipus Rex and Antigone. He is counted, with Euripides and Aeschylus, among the great Greek authors of tragedies.

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Other Word Forms

• Sophoclean
  adjective

Example Sentences

New York’s remarkable Year of Sophocles is heading into its final quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

No inducement, it seems, can get him to do this, but Sophocles finds a way to persuade him to go.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Sophocles, of course, didn’t need Oedipus to chat directly with the audience.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025

All able-bodied Athenian citizens served in the military, as did Sophocles himself.

From Salon • Feb. 25, 2024

It has no rival in Greek tragedy except the four plays of Sophocles about Oedipus and his children.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton