Shakespearean Dictionary: 100+ Words, Meanings & Examples
Welcome to the most complete Shakespearean dictionary on the web — your quick-reference glossary of 100+ Shakespeare words with plain modern English meanings and examples. Whether you are studying a play, writing an essay, or simply curious about Shakespearean words like “prithee” and “wherefore,” every entry pairs the original term with its modern meaning so you can look up unfamiliar language at a glance. Explore the A–Z glossary below, discover words Shakespeare invented, and browse Shakespearean insults and terms of endearment from the plays.
Shakespearean Words A–Z
A – D
| Abhor | hate |
| Afoot | underway, in progress |
| Alack | alas (cry of sorrow) |
| Anon | soon, at once |
| Art | are |
| Aught | anything |
| Avaunt | begone! |
| Bedlam | chaos; a madhouse |
| Beguile | trick, charm |
| Beseech | beg |
| Betwixt | between |
| Bounty | generosity |
| Chide | scold |
| Cozen | cheat |
| Doth | does |
In context: “Anon, anon!” — “Right away, coming!” (the Nurse hurrying in Romeo and Juliet). “Thou art a knave” — “You are a rogue.” “Doth he speak true?” — “Does he speak the truth?”
E – K
| Eke | also |
| Ere | before |
| Erewhile | a little while ago |
| Fain | gladly |
| Fardel | a bundle, burden |
| Fie | shame! (cry of disapproval) |
| Forsooth | indeed, truly |
| Fray | a fight, brawl |
| Goodly | handsome, fine |
| Hark | listen |
| Harkee | listen (variant) |
| Haste | hurry |
| Hath | has |
| Hence | away, from here |
| Hither | to here |
| Hugger-mugger | secrecy, confusion |
| Knave | rogue, servant boy |
In context: “Hark! I hear music” — “Listen! I hear music.” “Ere the sun rises” — “Before the sun rises.” “Hath the king returned?” — “Has the king returned?”
L – R
| Lament | mourn |
| Largess | generous gifts |
| Marry | indeed (mild oath) |
| Mountebank | a charlatan, quack |
| Naught | nothing |
| Ne’er | never |
| Oft | often |
| O’er | over |
| Pelf | money, esp. ill-gotten |
| Perchance | perhaps |
| Prate | to chatter idly |
| Prithee | please (I pray thee) |
| Render | give |
In context: “Prithee, tell me more” — “Please, tell me more.” “Perchance to dream” (Hamlet) — “Perhaps to dream.” “All my hopes are naught” — “All my hopes are nothing.”
S – Z
| Smite | strike |
| Sooth | truth (“in sooth” = truly) |
| Tarry | wait, stay |
| Thence | from there |
| Thither | to there |
| ’Tis | it is |
| ’Twas | it was |
| Varlet | scoundrel |
| Verily | truly |
| Villain | wicked person |
| Welkin | the sky, heavens |
| Wench | young woman (can be derogatory) |
| Whence | from where |
| Wherefore | why |
| Wight | person |
| Yon / Yonder | that over there |
| Zounds | mild oath (“God’s wounds”) |
In context: “’Tis a tale told by an idiot” (Macbeth) — “It is a tale told by an idiot.” “Wherefore art thou Romeo?” — “Why are you Romeo?” “Tarry here a while” — “Stay here a while.”
How to Use This Dictionary
To get the most from this glossary, scan the tables above whenever you meet an unfamiliar word in a play or sonnet — the letter groups let you jump straight to the term you need. For whole passages, paste your text into our Shakespeare to modern English translator instead of translating word by word. And if the old pronouns trip you up, our guide to thou, thee, thy & thine explains exactly when each form is used.
Shakespearean Dictionary FAQ
What does “wherefore” mean?
“Wherefore” means “why,” not “where.” Juliet’s famous line “Wherefore art thou Romeo?” asks why Romeo must be a Montague, her family’s enemy — not where he is. It is one of the most misunderstood words in all of Shakespeare.
What does “prithee” mean?
“Prithee” is a contraction of “I pray thee,” meaning “please” or “I beg you.” Shakespeare’s characters use it to soften requests, as in “Prithee, tell me more.” Think of it as the Elizabethan way of saying “pretty please.”
How many words did Shakespeare invent?
Shakespeare is credited with inventing or first recording around 1,700 words, including “eyeball,” “fashionable,” and “lonely.” The exact number is debated, since earlier uses are occasionally discovered and scholars count differently. Most experts treat 1,700 as a reasonable estimate rather than a precise total.
Did Shakespeare really invent 1,700 words?
The 1,700 figure comes from scholars counting words first recorded in Shakespeare’s works in the Oxford English Dictionary. He didn’t necessarily coin every one from nothing — some may have existed in everyday speech but survive first in his writing. The true number of deliberate coinages is probably lower, but his contribution to English vocabulary remains enormous.
What’s the hardest Shakespeare word to understand?
There is no single hardest word, but “wherefore” confuses the most readers — it means “why,” not “where,” despite Juliet’s famous balcony line. “Anon” (at once), “ere” (before), and “prithee” (please) also trip up modern readers. With context and a good glossary like the A–Z list above, most become clear quickly.
Where can I translate Shakespearean words?
For single words, use the A–Z glossary on this page to look up modern meanings at a glance. For whole passages, paste your text into a Shakespeare to modern English translator, which converts entire scenes automatically. Our guide to thou, thee, thy & thine covers the trickiest pronouns in detail.
Words Shakespeare Invented
Shakespeare is credited with inventing or first recording around 1,700 words, though scholars debate the exact figure. Everyday words like “eyeball,” “fashionable,” “lonely,” and “gossip” first appear in his plays and poems. The 18 examples below are all widely accepted attributions — each is credited to Shakespeare, since earlier uses are occasionally discovered.
| Eyeball | the organ of sight | A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
| Fashionable | stylish, in vogue | Troilus and Cressida |
| Lonely | solitary, isolated | Coriolanus |
| Gossip | idle talk | The Comedy of Errors |
| Bedroom | room for sleeping | A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
| Assassination | murder of a prominent person | Macbeth |
| Cold-blooded | unfeeling, cruel | King John |
| Break the ice | to start a conversation | The Taming of the Shrew |
| In a pickle | in a difficult situation | The Tempest |
| Wild-goose chase | a futile pursuit | Romeo and Juliet |
| Addiction | a strong inclination | Othello |
| Belongings | possessions | Measure for Measure |
| Eventful | full of incidents | As You Like It |
| Laughable | amusing, funny | The Merchant of Venice |
| Multitudinous | very numerous | Macbeth |
| Puking | vomiting | As You Like It |
| Skim milk | thin, watery milk | 1 Henry IV |
| Zany | a clownish follower | Love’s Labour’s Lost |
How Many Words Did Shakespeare Use?
Scholars estimate Shakespeare used between 17,000 and 20,000 distinct words across his plays and poems — roughly twice the vocabulary of an educated person today. Of these, about 1,700 are credited to him as coinages or first recorded uses, though the exact figure is debated. These are estimates based on surviving texts, not precise counts.
Shakespeare’s remarkable range is one reason his works feel so rich: he drew on courtly language, street slang, legal terms, and rural dialect alike. The 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and narrative poems together showcase a vocabulary far larger than most writers of his time.
For comparison, the King James Bible uses roughly 8,000 distinct words, while an educated English speaker today actively uses 10,000 to 20,000. Shakespeare sits at the very top of that range — and he was writing 400 years ago.
These figures are estimates, not exact counts. Scholars arrive at them by analyzing the surviving texts, and totals shift slightly depending on how variant spellings, inflections, and proper names are counted.
Shakespearean Insults
Shakespeare’s plays overflow with inventive insults, from “thou artless swag-bellied barnacle” to “thou puking malt-worm.” These colorful put-downs mix vivid adjectives with concrete nouns, and actors have delighted in delivering them for 400 years. The 10 below use genuine Shakespearean vocabulary — try combining them yourself.
| “Thou artless swag-bellied barnacle!” | clumsy, pot-bellied hanger-on |
| “Thou puking malt-worm!” | vomiting drunkard |
| “Thou craven hempseed!” | cowardly good-for-nothing |
| “Thou dissembling flax-wench!” | two-faced servant girl |
| “Thou bootless toad-spotted strumpet!” | worthless, blemished harlot |
| “Thou gorbellied flap-mouthed knave!” | fat-bellied, loud-mouthed rogue |
| “Thou pribbling ill-nurtured milksop!” | petty, ill-bred coward |
| “Thou saucy lily-livered boy!” | rude coward |
| “Thou rank fen-sucked maggot!” | foul, swamp-bred worm |
| “Thou yeasty weather-bitten baggage!” | frothy, weather-worn wench |
Try our Shakespearean insult generator to mix and match these words into your own original put-downs.
Shakespearean Terms of Endearment
Shakespeare’s lovers wooed each other with words as sweet as his insults were sharp. From “sweeting” to “dear heart,” these terms of endearment appear throughout the plays and sonnets. The 8 below are all genuine Elizabethan endearments — try one on someone you love.
| Sweeting | darling, sweet one |
| Dear heart | beloved |
| Honey | sweetheart (“my honey”) |
| Jewel | precious one (“my jewel”) |
| Dearest | most beloved |
| Chuck | dear one (“my chuck”) |
| Sweetheart | beloved |
| Love | beloved (as a form of address) |
