1
as in writer
a person who creates a written work
the roomful of unsung scriveners that it takes to churn out a weekly sitcom
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2
as in scribe
one who writes from dictation or copies manuscripts
the details of the contract were worked out by a lawyer, I being involved with it merely as a scrivener
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Recent Examples of scrivener
Zach Thomas Woods infuses zany comic energy into Edgar, a young Scottish lawyer and scrivener (a copier of documents), sternly religious but desperately horny and infatuated with Ruth.
—
Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2023
The name of the candidate omitted in the Voter Guide is highlighted in red to emphasize the scrivener’s error.
—chicagotribune.com, 25 Mar. 2021
Her narrator’s final gesture, transforming herself into a piece of half-living art, echoes the odd and combative passivity of Herman Melville’s Bartleby, a scrivener who suddenly, inexplicably, refuses to perform his duties.
—Alexandra Kleeman, Vanities, 2 July 2018
But the scrivener simply repeated the same five words, with no explanation for his conduct.
—The Economist, 26 May 2018
In the short story by Herman Melville from which our new column takes its name, Bartleby was a scrivener—a dying art, nowadays.
—The Economist, 26 May 2018
In 1727, when Benjamin Franklin was twenty-one, he and a few friends—among them a scrivener, a joiner, and two cobblers—formed a conversation club called the Junto.
—Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2014
Almost always, Shakespeare’s plays become mirrors when held up to the moments in which they are produced; Ralph Crane the scrivener was only the first among many annotators.
—Cynthia Zarin, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2017
The difference between a merchant’s handwriting and a scrivener’s is clear enough, the one scrawled and bold, the other neat and careful.
—Tim Parks, New York Times, 11 May 2016
Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2023
The name of the candidate omitted in the Voter Guide is highlighted in red to emphasize the scrivener’s error.
—chicagotribune.com, 25 Mar. 2021
Her narrator’s final gesture, transforming herself into a piece of half-living art, echoes the odd and combative passivity of Herman Melville’s Bartleby, a scrivener who suddenly, inexplicably, refuses to perform his duties.
—Alexandra Kleeman, Vanities, 2 July 2018
But the scrivener simply repeated the same five words, with no explanation for his conduct.
—The Economist, 26 May 2018
In the short story by Herman Melville from which our new column takes its name, Bartleby was a scrivener—a dying art, nowadays.
—The Economist, 26 May 2018
In 1727, when Benjamin Franklin was twenty-one, he and a few friends—among them a scrivener, a joiner, and two cobblers—formed a conversation club called the Junto.
—Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2014
Almost always, Shakespeare’s plays become mirrors when held up to the moments in which they are produced; Ralph Crane the scrivener was only the first among many annotators.
—Cynthia Zarin, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2017
The difference between a merchant’s handwriting and a scrivener’s is clear enough, the one scrawled and bold, the other neat and careful.
—Tim Parks, New York Times, 11 May 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrivener
Noun
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The word that umbrellas all of these concepts can be traced back to the innovation of English politician and writer Horace Walpole.—
Emily Zarevich,
JSTOR Daily,
11 July 2025
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Enquirer staff writer Gillian Stawiszynski contributed to this report.—
Kevin Grasha,
The Enquirer,
11 July 2025
Noun
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In a guide to Latin grammar, the margins are filled with scribes’ mundane notes, providing small clues about their everyday lives.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
1 July 2025
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The move doesn’t mean that the union’s scribes can suddenly start working with Emmett again, as the producer and his companies still aren’t signatories with the WGA West.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
1 July 2025
Noun
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The authors hope to continue to investigate how other developmental genes across other sea spider species may have appeared or disappeared throughout their life history, per Earth.com, potentially affecting their abdomens.—
Christian Thorsberg,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 July 2025
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Their argument echoes the stance of legendary Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, who championed writing in African languages and died in May, aged 87.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
11 July 2025
Noun
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The journalist’s tone was snarky, but there were some direct quotes from my father’s amanuenses.—
Sage Mehta,
The New Yorker,
7 Oct. 2024
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By Hillary Kelly The story goes that John Milton—who went blind in his early 40s—composed 20 lines of Paradise Lost in his mind each evening, and then repeated them aloud the next day to an assortment of amanuenses, among them his three daughters.—
Hillary Kelly,
The Atlantic,
10 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Scrivener.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrivener. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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