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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
Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 11 July 2025
During a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Chestnut was asked about his thoughts on LeBron James, prompting the thespian to predict that popular opinion will eventually favor James over Jordan in the near future.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 24 Mar. 2025
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 5 July 2025
Also out of place is Bloom’s Marlon, one of Kat’s students and a dour would-be thespian, though his rank unsuitability for the comedy-club scene is more of a running gag.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for thespian
Cite this Entry
“Thespian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thespian. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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