SCRIBE Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

scribe 1 of 2

noun

ˈskrīb

Definition of scribe

as in amanuensis

one who writes from dictation or copies manuscripts variations between the different manuscripts attest to the fallibility of the scribes who transmitted them

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in registrar

an official whose job is to keep records the scribe keeps the minutes of the club's meetings

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in writer

a person who creates a written work a book of dusty poems by some now-forgotten scribe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nonauthor

scribe

2 of 2

verb

as in to file

to mark with or as if with a line or groove carefully scribed two lines into the wood

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of scribe

Noun

Socrates had the same fear about the act of writing, scribes had the same fear about Gutenberg’s printing press, and John Saxon had the same fear about the calculator. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026 Many workers who could not write Chinese relied on scribes to compose the letters. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026 Our scribes are pre-medical students who volunteer part time at the clinic to gain clinical experience, a requisite for admission to medical school. — Benjamin I. Lee, STAT, 24 Aug. 2026 Admittedly, this scribe has waxed lovingly about way too many Broncos backs over the years. — Brad Evans, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scribe

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scribe

Noun

Much later, when Lamarck was old and blind, this Rosalie would be his amanuensis, reading to him, conducting research for him, and even writing for him.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Groff, the three-time National Book Award finalist and best-selling author, wrote the libretto with Doraiswamy and served as a kind of amanuensis to the production.

— Laura van Straaten, New York Times, 11 July 2025

Definition of amanuensis

Noun

Information for this article was contributed by staff writers of The Associated Press and Constant Méheut of The New York Times.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
One of Bilton and Weiss’s signature new on-air hires is the conservative writer Ross Douthat, formerly an opinion columnist for the Times.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of writer

Verb

A day after their merger collapsed, Albertsons filed a lawsuit against Kroger, seeking a $600 million termination fee as well as billions of dollars in legal fees and lost shareholder value.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
Since February, the team has filed more than 40 open records requests with state regulators at the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.

— Justin Price, AJC.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of file

Noun

At the same time, new technologies started to produce identical copies better and faster than any human copyist ever could.

— Mario Carpo, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Copying is part of a long tradition in art history, especially at the Louvre, which has maintained a copyists’ bureau since its founding in 1793.

— Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025

Definition of copyist

Noun

An agent that can both draft and post a journal entry has the same segregation-of-duties problem as a clerk who can do both.

— Jacqueline DeStefano-Tangorra, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his convictions earlier this year, ruling that a court clerk influenced jurors during his trial.

— Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of clerk

Noun

This realization has helped lead to the creation of a bench with life-size statues of 19th century author Robert Louis Stevenson, his wife Fanny Stevenson and their Irish setter cocker spaniel ChuChu.

— Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 18 Oct. 2026
The author argued that the unrest reflected deeper failures by France’s political establishment.

— Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of author

Verb

Test the plant’s health by lightly scratching the woody stems—healthy tissue beneath the bark will typically look green.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 9 Oct. 2026
The bear even takes time to exfoliate, using what appears to be a concrete barrier to scratch its back.

— Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of scratch

Browse Nearby Words

scribbling

scribe

scribed

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Scribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scribe. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of scribe

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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