SCRIBES Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

scribes 1 of 2

noun

plural of scribe

as in calligraphers

one who writes from dictation or copies manuscripts variations between the different manuscripts attest to the fallibility of the scribes who transmitted them

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as in clerks

an official whose job is to keep records the scribe keeps the minutes of the club's meetings

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as in writers

a person who creates a written work a book of dusty poems by some now-forgotten scribe

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nonauthors

scribes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of scribe

as in files

to mark with or as if with a line or groove carefully scribed two lines into the wood

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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 scribes

Noun

Final Thoughts Ambient AI scribes are already delivering real reductions in administrative burden and measurable gains in clinician experience. — Pat Williams, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026 In addition to the platform unveiling, HVG has confirmed a strategic partnership with First-Look, a platform founded by scribes and producers Chad and Carey Hayes (The Conjuring franchise). — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 Socrates had the same fear about the act of writing, scribes had the same fear about Gutenberg’s printing press, and John Saxon had the same fear about the calculator. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026 Many workers who could not write Chinese relied on scribes to compose the letters. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026 Our scribes are pre-medical students who volunteer part time at the clinic to gain clinical experience, a requisite for admission to medical school. — Benjamin I. Lee, STAT, 24 Aug. 2026 The old adage among NFL scouts, coaches and smart scribes is that the preseason does not present the truth. — Armando Salguero, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026 Filed jointly with the WGA West and East branches, the guild’s suit claims the merger violates antitrust law and would inflict irreparable harm on industry scribes. — Jack Dunn, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026 The assistant was Heidi, one of a growing number of AI medical scribes. — New Atlas, 5 Aug. 2026

Verb

In an Emmy acceptance speech, Sheen thanked his writers — Gospel scribes Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. — ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026 Head scribes Chris Ord and Matt Corman, and episodic directors for the remainder of the series, were let go. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026 Out of the Further at the box office this weekend is Black Bear Pictures’ Spa Weekend, a new raunchy comedy written and directed by The Hangover and Bad Moms scribes Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Their content is a reminder that scribes more than a century ago often had a flair for colorful language. — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2026 Monks consulted existing manuscripts of the Tripitaka, which scribes copied onto marble for stonemasons to chisel. — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026 But this award, which was inaugurated in 2023 with a Jesso win, circles the same handful of writers, and country scribes like Jessie Jo Dillon, pop bards like Amy Allen, and reggaeton men-at-arms like Edgar Barrera are just as up next. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scribes

Noun

Founded in the 10th century, this complex of churches was a crucible of wisdom for calligraphers, philosophers, and illuminators.

— Marlise Kast-Myers, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2026
Founded in the 10th century, this complex of churches was a crucible of wisdom for calligraphers, philosophers and illuminators.

— Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026

Definition of calligraphers

Noun

So were several lawyers and the election clerks of two of Utah’s twenty-nine counties.

— Barton Gellman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, said that the clerks who didn't comply with the government's demands could face prosecution as well.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of clerks

Noun

In more recent years, the go-to option for an aspiring writer has been starting a newsletter of her own, often on Substack, a digital platform that launched in 2017 to allow writers to charge money for their writing.

— Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Fashionable gatherings were peppered with the prose of neoclassical writers and Romantic poets.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of writers

Verb

Correspondence files that document how a company responded at the moments that mattered most.

— Amanda Turcotte, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Sweden files more patents per person than almost every other European country, hosts four of the world’s top 130 universities, and is ranked by the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization as the second most innovative economy on earth.

— Jan Larsson, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of files

Noun

Curtis was appointed by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors last year after two previous registrars resigned.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
The Bayeux Tapestry‘s journey to the British Museum was made possible by a remarkable team of conservators, registrars, engineers, and specialist art handlers whose work is rarely seen by the public—and the Times of London has given them their due.

— George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of registrars

Noun

Now that those demographics are changing and there are more non-white authors getting book deals and winning awards, there’s an emerging resentment, especially on social media.

— T.M. Brown, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
The new figure is a sharper downgrade than the authors’ earlier Hoover analysis.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of authors

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Style

“Scribes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scribes. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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noun

verb

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