scrivener
noun
Synonyms
Examples of scrivener in a Sentence
Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2023
The name of the candidate omitted in the Voter Guide is highlighted in red to emphasize the scrivener’s error.
—chicagotribune.com, 25 Mar. 2021
Her narrator’s final gesture, transforming herself into a piece of half-living art, echoes the odd and combative passivity of Herman Melville’s Bartleby, a scrivener who suddenly, inexplicably, refuses to perform his duties.
—Alexandra Kleeman, Vanities, 2 July 2018
But the scrivener simply repeated the same five words, with no explanation for his conduct.
—The Economist, 26 May 2018
In the short story by Herman Melville from which our new column takes its name, Bartleby was a scrivener—a dying art, nowadays.
—The Economist, 26 May 2018
In 1727, when Benjamin Franklin was twenty-one, he and a few friends—among them a scrivener, a joiner, and two cobblers—formed a conversation club called the Junto.
—Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2014
Almost always, Shakespeare’s plays become mirrors when held up to the moments in which they are produced; Ralph Crane the scrivener was only the first among many annotators.
—Cynthia Zarin, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2017
The difference between a merchant’s handwriting and a scrivener’s is clear enough, the one scrawled and bold, the other neat and careful.
—Tim Parks, New York Times, 11 May 2016
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scrivener.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English scriveiner, alteration of scrivein, from Anglo-French escrivein, from Vulgar Latin *scriban-, scriba, alteration of Latin scriba scribe
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near scrivener
Cite this Entry
“Scrivener.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrivener. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
scrivener
noun
Legal Definition
scrivener
noun
Middle English, alteration of scriveyn, from Anglo-French escrivein, ultimately from Latin scriba public record keeper, from scribere to write
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