German word

Schriftsteller

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈʃʁɪftˌʃtɛlɐ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounwriter

Example

Der Schriftsteller liest aus seinem neuen Buch.

The writer is reading from his new book.

Illustration for Schriftsteller (writer)

More examples

Als freier Schriftsteller schreibt er Artikel für verschiedene Magazine.

As a freelance writer, he writes articles for various magazines.

Core concept

A person at a desk shaping characters, ideas, and language into publishable literature.

Common phrases

  • freier Schriftsteller

    freelance writer

  • leidenschaftlicher Schriftsteller

    passionate writer

  • etablierter Schriftsteller

    established writer

Similar words

Autor: A person who publishes works or written texts under their own name.
Romanautor: A novelist who writes long-form stories for publication as books.

Definition in German

Eine Person, die schriftstellerisch tätig ist und vorwiegend fiktionale oder literarische Texte veröffentlicht.

Word origin

Schriftsteller developed as a compound of Schrift and -steller, with Schrift referring to writing and -steller marking a person connected with producing it.

Usage tips

  • Schriftsteller usually points to literary writing, whereas Autor is broader and can also cover technical or academic authorship.

Other meanings

  • authornoun
  • novelistnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • Schriftstellerinfemale writernoun
  • schriftstellerischwriterlyadjective
  • Schriftstellerverbandwriters' associationnoun

Word lists with this word