SCRIBES Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

scribes 1 of 2

noun

plural of scribe

as in calligraphers

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

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as in clerks

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

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as in writers

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nonauthors

scribes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of scribe

as in files

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

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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 scribes

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 Despite digitizing clinical records, EHRs often burdened physicians with extensive data entry, reducing patient interaction and leading to workarounds like medical scribes. — Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 The old adage among NFL scouts, coaches and smart scribes is that the preseason does not present the truth. — Armando Salguero, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026 Filed jointly with the WGA West and East branches, the guild’s suit claims the merger violates antitrust law and would inflict irreparable harm on industry scribes. — Jack Dunn, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026 With nothing else to do, the scribes took a shot and wrote it as a spec. — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026 The assistant was Heidi, one of a growing number of AI medical scribes. — New Atlas, 5 Aug. 2026

Verb

Head scribes Chris Ord and Matt Corman, and episodic directors for the remainder of the series, were let go. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026 Out of the Further at the box office this weekend is Black Bear Pictures’ Spa Weekend, a new raunchy comedy written and directed by The Hangover and Bad Moms scribes Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Their content is a reminder that scribes more than a century ago often had a flair for colorful language. — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2026 Monks consulted existing manuscripts of the Tripitaka, which scribes copied onto marble for stonemasons to chisel. — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026 But this award, which was inaugurated in 2023 with a Jesso win, circles the same handful of writers, and country scribes like Jessie Jo Dillon, pop bards like Amy Allen, and reggaeton men-at-arms like Edgar Barrera are just as up next. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scribes

Noun

Founded in the 10th century, this complex of churches was a crucible of wisdom for calligraphers, philosophers, and illuminators.

— Marlise Kast-Myers, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2026
Founded in the 10th century, this complex of churches was a crucible of wisdom for calligraphers, philosophers and illuminators.

— Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026

Definition of calligraphers

Noun

Shillings said the secretary of state's office should provide better tools and training to county clerks to prevent future errors.

— Hayleigh Colombo, IndyStar, 27 Aug. 2026
Turnover within the court itself, particularly among judges and clerks, has contributed to case delays and disorganization, said Michael Sharma-Crawford, a local immigration attorney.

— Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of clerks

Verb

Today, four of the 12 largest online sellers to American consumers -- Temu, SHEIN, TikTok Shop and AliExpress -- appear nowhere in NRF's Top 100, because none of them files with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a US retailer.

— Jason Goldberg, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The beloved character files a claim that the Acme corporation — the fictional company that sells the faulty products prominently seen in Looney Tunes cartoons — is purposefully selling bad products to Coyote in his efforts to catch Roadrunner.

— Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of files

Noun

Controversy and censure Curtis, a 68-year-old attorney, was appointed by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in the spring of 2025 to fill the position vacated by two previous registrars who resigned for health reasons.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
The Bayeux Tapestry‘s journey to the British Museum was made possible by a remarkable team of conservators, registrars, engineers, and specialist art handlers whose work is rarely seen by the public—and the Times of London has given them their due.

— George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of registrars

Noun

The campaign is geared towards challenging the CBC’s opposition to the bill; the group alleges that the bill’s authors did not sufficiently take into account the perspectives of Black athletes, coaches, and others.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Since OpenAI published its blog post, the website changed the article’s attribution to one of the real authors, Kate Hooper, a senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute.

— Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of authors

Verb

Culturally, college football scratches the human itch for tribalism, which America’s ethos of individualism fortunately discourages.

— George F. Will, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2026
The brand’s Krossa desk scratches the itch for office furniture that isn’t sterile or corporate-looking.

— Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of scratches

Noun

Yet consider the narrative that emerged from Jackson Hole about how Treasury secretary Scott Bessent had allegedly inserted himself where Treasury secretaries shouldn’t.

— John Tamny, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Tomlin, Fonda and Parton played a trio of secretaries who took revenge on their sexist boss by kidnapping him and enacting changes in the workplace in his name.

— Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of secretaries

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“Scribes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scribes. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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noun

verb

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