Shakespearean

1 of 2

adjective

Shake·​spear·​ean shāk-ˈspir-ē-ən 

variants or Shakespearian or less commonly Shaksperean or Shaksperian

1

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of Shakespeare or his writings

2

: evocative of a theme, setting, or event from a work of Shakespeare

Shakespearean pageantry

Shakespearean

2 of 2

noun

variants or Shakespearian or less commonly Shaksperean or Shaksperian

: an authority on or devotee of Shakespeare

Examples of Shakespearean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But what obsessed me were the lyrics, which describe tragi-comically bleak scenes of contemporary abjection using language that felt borderline Shakespearean, tied up in elaborate rhyme schemes and tight lexical knots. —Meaghan Garvey, Pitchfork, 3 Apr. 2025

London’s West End theaters are well known for their range of performances: comedies, dramas, Shakespearean plays, and everything in between. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 23 Nov. 2024

Save for Adam Driver’s Shakespearean gusto as an architect at once mercurial and magical, Coppola has little control over performances that veer toward the cartoonish, and the digital effects have a screensaver chintziness that’s missing the lushness of his best work. —Scott Tobias, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024

Kenneth Branagh, the Shakespearean wiz of my dreams, brings that passionate theatricality to this piece, and steers the ship with dramatic heft and kinetic electricity. —Betty Gabriel, Variety, 9 Oct. 2024

Hiroyuki Sanada has lived a thousand lives in show business: child performer, action star, Shakespearean Fool, Hollywood actor. —Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024

Jidaigeki Japanese is like our version of Shakespearean English. —Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Laurence Olivier Legendary Shakespearean thespian Sir Laurence Olivier also received eight BAFTA nominations for his acting career. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 14 Feb. 2024

For those of us who loved this actor’s work, there was a particular poignancy to see words fail him for once, this actor of Shakespearean grandiloquence, tamping down his natural gift for language to express a deeper, more sorrowful truth. —Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1755, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1837, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing Shakespearean

• Shakespearean sonnet

Rhymes for Shakespearean

• assyrian
• counterion
• criterion
• hyperion
• iberian
• illyrian
• mousterian
• shakespearian
• hanoverian
• presbyterian
• virion

Kids Definition

Shakespearean

adjective

Shake·​spear·​ean

variants or Shakespearian

shāk-ˈspir-ē-ən

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of English playwright and poet William Shakespeare or his writings