DictionarytragedianTragic playwright
noun

tragedian

A writer of tragic plays.

Sophocles is a Greek tragedian whose plays explore suffering and fate.

Etymology

The dramatic genre-name takes a person-forming ending. A tragedian can therefore be the writer who composes tragic plays.

More examples

  • The tragedian writes about a ruler whose pride destroys his kingdom.
  • We study three ancient tragedians and compare their plays.
  • As a tragedian, she creates characters whose choices lead to disaster.

Forms

tragedian · tragedians

tragedy noun — A play ending in suffering or disaster.

Similar words

playwright
Writes plays of any kind, not necessarily tragedies.
dramatist
Names a writer of drama without specifying its genre.