Shakespeare's Words

William Shakespeare used more than 20,000 words in his plays and poems, and his works provide the first recorded use of over 1,700 words in the English language. It is believed that he may have invented or introduced many of these words himself, often by combining words, changing nouns into verbs, adding prefixes or suffixes, and so on. Some words stuck around and some didn't. 

Although lexicographers are continually discovering new origins and earliest usages of words, below are listed words and definitions we still use today that are widely attributed to Shakespeare.

Shakespeare's Words A-Z

Alligator: (n) a large, carnivorous reptile closely related to the crocodile     Romeo and Juliet, Act 5 Scene 1

Bedroom: (n) a room for sleeping; furnished with a bed     A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2 Scene 2

Critic: (n) one who judges merit or expresses a reasoned opinion     Love's Labour's Lost, Act 3 Scene 1

Downstairs: (adv) on a lower floor; down the steps     Henry IV Part 1, Act 2 Scene 4

Eyeball: (n) the round part of the eye; organ for vision     Henry VI Part 1, Act 4 Scene 7

Fashionable: (adj) stylish; characteristic of a particular period     Troilus and Cressida, Act 3 Scene 3

Gossip: (v) to talk casually, usually about others     The Comedy of Errors, Act 5 Scene 1

Hurry: (v) to act or move quickly     The Comedy of Errors, Act 5 Scene 1

Inaudible: (adj) not heard; unable to be heard     All's Well That Ends Well, Act 5 Scene 3

Jaded: (adj) worn out; bored or past feeling     Henry VI Part 2, Act 4 Scene 1

Kissing: (ppl adj) touching with the lips; exchanging kisses     Love's Labour's Lost, Act 5 Scene 2

Lonely: (adj) feeling sad due to lack of companionship     Coriolanus, Act 4 Scene 1

Manager: (n) one who controls or administers; person in charge     Love's Labour's Lost, Act 1 Scene 2

Nervy: (adj) sinewy or strong; bold; easily agitated     Coriolanus, Act 2 Scene 1

Obscene: (adj) repulsive or disgusting; offensive to one's morality     Love's Labour's Lost, Act 1 Scene 1

Puppy dog: (n) a young, domestic dog     King John, Act 2 Scene 1

Questioning: (n) the act of inquiring or interrogating     As You Like It, Act 5 Scene 4

Rant: (v) to speak at length in inflated or extravagant language     Hamlet, Act 5 Scene 1

Skim milk: (n) milk with its cream removed     Henry IV Part 1, Act 2 Scene 3

Traditional: (adj) conventional; long-established, bound by tradition     Richard III, Act 3 Scene 1

Undress: (v) to remove clothes or other covering     The Taming of the Shrew, Induction Scene 2

Varied: (adj) incorporating different types or kinds; diverse     Titus Andronicus, Act 3 Scene 1

Worthless: (adj) having no value or merit; contemptible     The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 4 Scene 2

Xantippe: (n) shrewish wife of Socrates; figuratively, a bad-tempered woman     The Taming of the Shrew, Act 1 Scene 2

Yelping: (adj) uttering sharp, high-pitched cries     Henry VI Part 1, Act 4 Scene 2

Zany: (n) clown's assistant; performer who mimics another's antics     Love's Labour's Lost, Act 5 Scene 2