as in actor
one who acts professionally (as in a play, movie, or television show)
although she's "acted" in a couple of horror movies, I'd hardly call her one of our more promising thespians
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of thespian
Farrell saw such a complex character as an appealing opportunity for a thespian.
—
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
The Delacorte has long been a north star for thespians—try to count how many of your actor friends on Instagram have liked that one photo of Meryl Streep rehearsing Taming of the Shrew there in 1978.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 22 Aug. 2025
And while thespians who play, say, Superman or Captain America might be forever tied to those roles, there's a certain amount of anonymity in playing a bighearted orange rock monster.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 24 July 2025
For the last full week of June, the thespians have taken over.
—Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for thespian
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
The Delacorte has long been a north star for thespians—try to count how many of your actor friends on Instagram have liked that one photo of Meryl Streep rehearsing Taming of the Shrew there in 1978.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 22 Aug. 2025
And while thespians who play, say, Superman or Captain America might be forever tied to those roles, there's a certain amount of anonymity in playing a bighearted orange rock monster.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 24 July 2025
For the last full week of June, the thespians have taken over.
—Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for thespian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thespian
Noun
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This is a great performance in a lousy movie, sometimes the truest measure of an actor’s grace and skill.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
12 Oct. 2025
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There’s a story about an actor called Akim Tamiroff, who played a lot of villains in fifties and sixties movies, going up and hugging the camera.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Faye, named after actress Faye Dunaway, is cut with an open toe, ultra-thin straps and a small buckle-fastening ankle strap.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
16 Oct. 2025
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Diane Keaton's family revealed the late actress' cause of death on Wednesday.—
Jasmine Baehr , Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The cast also features Indonesian performer Elvira Devinamira.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
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The lawsuit a stunt performer from Horizon 2, which Kevin Costner directed, wrote, produced, and stars in, brought against him and others behind the film in May still — mostly — stands, a judge has ruled, according to documents obtained by EW.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thespian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thespian. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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