Thespian

[ thes-pee-uhn ]

adjective

1. (often lowercase) pertaining to tragedy or to the dramatic art in general.
2. of or characteristic of Thespis.
3. of or relating to Thespiae.

noun

1. (sometimes lowercase) a tragedian; an actor or actress.

Thespian

/ ˈθɛspɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Thespis
2. usually not capital of or relating to drama and the theatre; dramatic

noun

1. facetious.
   an actor or actress

Word History and Origins

Origin of Thespian¹

First recorded in 1665–75; Thespi(s) + -an

Example Sentences

Morris leads me into a hallway lined with movie posters — a mix of stuff he’s been in like “Game Night” and his favorites, like “Tropic Thunder” — the poster is of Downey as the egotistical Australian thespian, Kirk Lazarus, who takes Method acting to an extreme.

From Los Angeles Times

Now that you are an Emmy-nominated thespian —

From Salon

He used the tactics of a thespian – wild gesticulations, theatrical shifts in cadence – to animate into life the stakes of his subject matter.

From Salon

Along with Bittelig, the group’s strong man, Alto the thespian, and Judy the empath, everyone nonchalantly reminds Kevin of how boring he is while also proving they need him.

From Salon

His Palm Dog collar was instead symbolically wrapped around a border collie named Stan that lacked the thespian’s piercing blue eyes.

From Seattle Times