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Poetaster: meaning, definitions and examples

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poetaster

 

[ ˈpəʊɪtæstə ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

literature

A poetaster is a person who writes inferior poetry, often with pretentious or superficial content.

Synonyms

hack, rhymester, versifier

Examples of usage

  • He was mocked by the literary community for being nothing more than a poetaster.
  • The poetaster's work lacked depth and originality.
  • The critics dismissed him as a mere poetaster, incapable of producing truly meaningful poetry.

Translations

Translations of the word "poetaster" in other languages:

🇵🇹 poetastro

🇮🇳 अल्पकवि

🇩🇪 Schmierdichter

🇮🇩 penyair buruk

🇺🇦 поганий поет

🇵🇱 grafoman

🇯🇵 下手な詩人

🇫🇷 poète médiocre

🇪🇸 poeta mediocre

🇹🇷 kötü şair

🇰🇷 졸렬한 시인

🇸🇦 شاعر رديء

🇨🇿 špatný básník

🇸🇰 zlý básnik

🇨🇳 蹩脚诗人

🇸🇮 slab pesnik

🇮🇸 lélegur skáld

🇰🇿 нашар ақын

🇬🇪 ცუდი პოეტი

🇦🇿 pis şair

🇲🇽 poeta mediocre

Etymology

The word poetaster originated in the late 16th century, derived from the combination of 'poet' and the Latin suffix '-aster', which denotes inferiority or imitation. It was initially used to mock amateur or unskilled poets who attempted to mimic the style of more accomplished writers. Over time, poetaster has come to signify not just mediocrity in poetry but also a lack of genuine talent or creativity in the literary domain.

See also: poetic, poeticize, poetize, poetizer, poetry, poets.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #38,677, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.