wright
noun
a worker, especially a constructive worker (used chiefly in combination).
wright
1 American
[rahyt]
/ raɪt /
noun
-
wrights
plural
Wright
2
American
[rahyt]
/ raɪt /
noun
-
Charles, born 1935, U.S. poet.
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Frances or Fanny, 1795–1852, U.S. abolitionist and social reformer, born in Scotland.
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Frank Lloyd, 1867–1959, U.S. architect.
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James, 1927–80, U.S. poet and translator.
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Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734–97, English painter.
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Joseph, 1855–1935, English philologist and lexicographer.
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Mary Kathryn Mickey, born 1935, U.S. golfer.
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Orville 1871–1948, and his brother Wilbur, 1867–1912, U.S. aeronautical inventors.
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Richard, 1908–60, U.S. novelist.
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Russel 1904–76, U.S. industrial designer.
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Willard Huntington S. S. Van Dine, 1888–1939, U.S. journalist, critic, and author.
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a male given name.
Wright
1
British
/ raɪt /
noun
-
Frank Lloyd. 1869–1959, US architect, whose designs include the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo (1916), the Guggenheim Museum, New York (1943), and many private houses. His "organic architecture" sought a close relationship between buildings and their natural surroundings
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Joseph, known as Wright of Derby . 1734–97, British painter, noted for his paintings of industrial and scientific subjects, esp The Orrery (?1765) and The Air Pump (1768)
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Joseph. 1855–1930, British philologist; editor of The English Dialect Dictionary (1898–1905)
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Judith ( Arundel ). 1915–2000, Australian poet, critic, and conservationist. Her collections of poetry include The Moving Image (1946), Woman to Man (1949), and A Human Pattern (1990)
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Richard. 1908–60, US Black novelist and short-story writer, best known for the novel Native Son (1940)
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Wilbur (1867–1912) and his brother, Orville (1871–1948), US aviation pioneers, who designed and flew the first powered aircraft (1903)
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William, known as Billy . 1924–94, English footballer: winner of 105 caps
wright
2
British
/ raɪt /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of wright
before 900; Middle English; Old English wryhta, metathetic variant of wyrhta “worker”; akin to work
Explanation
If you make a living building furniture out of wood, you can call yourself a wright, which is an old fashioned way to say "maker or builder." You're more likely to see the word wright in combination with other words than on its own these days. Some common examples are playwright and wheelwright, or in other words, makers of plays and wheels. The origin of wright is the Old English wryhta, or "someone who works with wood." Originally, a wright was specifically a wood worker, but later it grew to include many different kinds of professions.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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Topics: , , , , colorado capitol building, jared wright, jonathan singer, kurtis lee, Denver Post, John Hickenlooper, Gov. John Hickenlooper, , ,
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2014
Tags: Baseball, david wright, mets, retaliation, terry collins Baseball evokes the image of a father having that catch with his son.
From New York Times ● May 24, 2012
Under regulations drawn up in 1570 by the school's patron, Sir Nicholas Bacon, enrollment was limited to 12 underprivileged boys who had "learned their accidence without books and can wright indifferently."
From Time Magazine Archive
Surely, Ibsen must have intuited that the day would arrive when some play wright would see every woman as her own woman.
From Time Magazine Archive
"What did you say was the name of the mill wright at Lewes Mrs. Whitney was wanting to get her son with?"
From A Final Reckoning A Tale of Bush Life in Australia by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
Two were men from Canyon Country: John Wright, 47, and Jesus Figueroa, 54, according to the statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
Energy Secretary Chris Wright called the oil loan “a temporary measure to solve a temporary supply disruption” and urged the governors of New York and New England to build the pipeline.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
Like Bray, Wright believed the recurring theme of female empowerment was a key part of its appeal.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
“Advertising continues to grow, and plenty of brands and categories have happily filled the space left by carmakers,” Wright said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
“But what happened with Mia had nothing to do with what happened to Warren,” Mrs. Wright broke in.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Play wrights Sanctuary directed Dr Larry Myers of St John s University goes directly to breaking news troubespots nd engages in dramatic arts jihads!
From New York Times ● Dec. 29, 2017
It remains to be seen whether the costly craft launched by Russel Crowe and his ark wrights will sink or swim.
From Time ● Mar. 27, 2014
The new humor, which draws its tone from play wrights such as Albee and Pinter, is cruel, taut-nerved, and speaks the lingo of the obscene and the absurd, not funny-ha-ha but funny-peculiar.
From Time Magazine Archive
Other English play wrights may update Shaw; Berkoff wants to be an East End blend of Sam Shepard and Jean Genet.
From Time Magazine Archive
Yourself wears well, but take heed of swallowing your shavings unawares, as is the trick of you "wrights"; they confound the interior and perplex the Doctor.
From Health Five Lay Sermons to Working-People by John Brown
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