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

And both have some notable thespian overlaps (hey there, Michael Harney, Matt Peters, Natasha Lyonne, and Pablo Schreiber).

From The Daily Beast

In the installation, the British thespian would sleep in a glass box in the museum with nothing but pillows and a water jug.

From The Daily Beast

Brooding British thespian Henry Cavill (famous to Showtime fans of The Tudors) is on tap as the new Superman.

From The Daily Beast

It is exactly the sort of film one could imagine the promising young thespian from Barefoot in the Park growing up to make.

From The Daily Beast

In the video, Franco recites classic pick up lines in front of a mirror set to the sounds of some deeply thespian tunes.

From The Daily Beast

"One is taken altogether too literally," he complained to his friends in the smoking-room of the Thespian Club.

From Project Gutenberg

It was quite exciting being ushered into a private office in the Thespian National Bank.

From Project Gutenberg

That she had lost a matter of six hundred and fifty dollars, deposited in the Thespian Bank, was nothing.

From Project Gutenberg

In 1812 a third dramatic society called the Thespian Society was organized among the young men and young women of Pittsburg.

From Project Gutenberg

The smile he gave me in reply would have made the fortune of a Thespian Mephistopheles.

From Project Gutenberg