thespian

1 of 2

noun

thes·pi·an ˈthe-spē-ən

Synonyms of thespian next

: actor

thespian

2 of 2

adjective

often capitalized [from the tradition that Thespis was the originator of the actor's role] : relating to the drama : dramatic

capitalized : of or relating to Thespis

Did you know?

Greek drama was originally entirely performed by choruses. According to tradition, the Greek dramatist Thespis, of the 6th century B.C., was the inventor of tragedy and the first to write roles for the individual actor as distinct from the chorus, and the actor's exchanges with the chorus were the first dramatic dialogue. Since Thespis himself performed the individual parts in his own plays, he was also the first true actor. Ever since choruses disappeared from drama, thespians have filled all the roles in plays. Thespian is also an adjective; thus, we can speak of "thespian ambitions" and "thespian traditions", for example.

Examples of thespian in a Sentence

Noun a renowned thespian and director although she's “acted” in a couple of horror movies, I'd hardly call her one of our more promising thespians

Recent Examples on the Web

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Noun

In the end, Treadwell-Collins was delighted with his band of thespians. —

Max Goldbart, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2024 But when critically celebrated English thespian William MacCready (Coogan) arrives from London to perform his sophisticated Hamlet, Edwin’s title is thrown into jeopardy. —

Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024

Adjective

The Godfather turned Al Pacino from a small-time, hustling stage thespian to an international movie star. —

Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024 The nature of a Mike Leigh film is that the characters are developed individually between filmmaker and thespian. —

Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for thespian