Thespian

[ thes-pee-uhn ]

/ ˈθɛs pi ən /

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adjective

(often lowercase) pertaining to tragedy or to the dramatic art in general.

of or characteristic of Thespis.

of or relating to Thespiae.

noun

(sometimes lowercase) a tragedian; an actor or actress.

QUIZ

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If autumn is your ideal season, spice up your repertoire of "fall" vocabulary with this quiz on some warm and vivid descriptive words for the season.

Question 1 of 10

Which of the following words means “to make a crackling sound; crackle”?

crisp

crepitate

fuscous

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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Origin of Thespian

First recorded in 1665–75; Thespi(s) + -an

Words nearby Thespian

Sorrows of Young Werther, The, soul of, the, Sound and the Fury, The, Spectator, The, Thespiae, Thespian, Thespian Lion, spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, the, The Spirit of '76, The Spirit of St. Louis, Thespis

How to use Thespian in a sentence

And both have some notable thespian overlaps (hey there, Michael Harney, Matt Peters, Natasha Lyonne, and Pablo Schreiber).
Orange Is the New Weeds: The Adventures of Jenji Kohan Across the 8th Dimension|Rich Goldstein, Emily Shire|August 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the installation, the British thespian would sleep in a glass box in the museum with nothing but pillows and a water jug.
Lady Gaga, John Lennon & More Celebs Doing Performance Art (VIDEO)|Rachel Osman , Victoria Kezra|August 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Brooding British thespian Henry Cavill (famous to Showtime fans of The Tudors) is on tap as the new Superman.
Invasion of the Bodybuilders|Chris Lee|June 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It is exactly the sort of film one could imagine the promising young thespian from Barefoot in the Park growing up to make.
Robert Redford's Pretty-Face Burden|Richard Rushfield|April 17, 2011|DAILY BEAST

In the video, Franco recites classic pick up lines in front of a mirror set to the sounds of some deeply thespian tunes.
Most Memorable Kisses of the Year|Shefali Kulkarni|December 30, 2010|DAILY BEAST
"One is taken altogether too literally," he complained to his friends in the smoking-room of the Thespian Club.
Lady Lilith|Stephen McKenna
It was quite exciting being ushered into a private office in the Thespian National Bank.
Find the Woman|Arthur Somers Roche
That she had lost a matter of six hundred and fifty dollars, deposited in the Thespian Bank, was nothing.
Find the Woman|Arthur Somers Roche
In 1812 a third dramatic society called the Thespian Society was organized among the young men and young women of Pittsburg.
Pittsburgh in 1816|Various
The smile he gave me in reply would have made the fortune of a Thespian Mephistopheles.
The Leavenworth Case|Anna Katherine Green

British Dictionary definitions for Thespian

Thespian

/ (ˈθɛspɪən) /

adjective

of or relating to Thespis

(usually not capital) of or relating to drama and the theatre; dramatic

noun (usually not capital)

often facetious an actor or actress

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012