ESSAYIST Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

essayist

noun

Definition of essayist

as in novelist

Related Words

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Dissimilar Words

nonauthor

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of essayist Sign in Václav Havel Václav Havel (1936–2011) was a playwright and essayist who served as the first president of the Czech Republic. — Václav Havel, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026 The itinerary, The Soul of Japan, Living Like a Local by Pico Iyer, was shaped by the acclaimed travel writer and essayist, who has lived in Japan for nearly four decades. — Regan Stephens, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2026 Sun Yung Shin is an award-winning poet and essayist who was born in Korea, grew up in the Chicago area, and is currently based in Minneapolis. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026 Neal Ascherson encountered some of the twentieth century’s greatest tragedies as a veteran, journalist, essayist, historian, novelist, and political activist. — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for essayist

Recent Examples of Synonyms for essayist

Noun

An avid reader, Dua Lipa sat down for a chat at the London Literature Festival 2026 in conversation with moderator and novelist Zadie Smith and poet Mustafa about all things books at the Royal Festival Hall yesterday in London.

— Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 25 Oct. 2026
In an interview for the Common Reader, novelist Brandon Taylor cited Philip Glass as his main musical tool while writing Real Life.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of novelist

Noun

Head south of the border for a chilling crime documentary about José Luis Calva Zepeda, a poet and playwright in Mexico City who used his way with words to woo women.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026
Many were fans of Churchill, 88, who is widely considered one of the greatest living playwrights.

— Mariah Kreutter, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of playwright

Noun

But as an emerging actor and dramatist with a young family, such an extended outbreak could end his career, forcing him to pursue another livelihood.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
All four movies exhibit Mackenzie’s knack for trenchant social and political commentary slightly heightened by his elegance as a dramatist and visceral genre filmmaker, and all are accompanied by illuminating supplements.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of dramatist

Noun

To be a good poet or pamphleteer, like Thomas Paine or Samuel Johnson, requires a kind of day-to-day daring, with triumphs made in conversation and correspondence; a good banker or stockbroker makes his in columns of numbers.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2026
Even when insulted or thwarted – by Spanish intrigues on the Florida frontier, by British seizures in the Caribbean, by pamphleteers accusing him of being a monarch in disguise – Washington’s tone remained measured.

— Washington Post, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2026

Definition of pamphleteer

Noun

The prolific Romanian satirist Radu Jude is back at NYFF with a new piece of sociological shrapnel.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 Sep. 2026
Three hundred years ago, the satirist warned of a world in which reading and writing are replaced by the flashy simulation of human knowledge.

— Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of satirist

Noun

While a bright teen with auditory hallucinations makes for a fun, provocative lead character, screenwriter-director Kelly never goes much beyond the surface zaniness of Donnie.

— Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026
An American screenwriter and showrunner, Guzikowski’s Raised by Wolves — following two androids raising human children following the destruction of the Earth in a great war — aired for two seasons.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of screenwriter

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Style

“Essayist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/essayist. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of essayist

noun

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