Shakespearean Dictionary: 200+ Words With Modern Meanings

Welcome to our free Shakespearean dictionary, the searchable companion to every play, poem, and sonnet Shakespeare wrote. Below you will find more than 200 Shakespearean words with plain modern English meanings and a short example for each one, so you can look up any puzzling word in seconds. Just type a word, or even part of a word, into the search box and the list filters instantly. Whether you are reading Romeo and Juliet for class, writing an essay on Hamlet, or simply wondering what “prithee” means, this Shakespearean dictionary gives you the answer in plain language, with no academic footnotes attached.

Watch: The Best English Expressions Are From Shakespeare

You already speak more Shakespeare than you think. This episode explores everyday English expressions that started in Shakespeare’s plays, a perfect companion to the dictionary above.

Quick Answer

A Shakespearean dictionary translates Early Modern English into modern English. The words that confuse readers most are the pronouns (thou, thee, thy, thine, ye), the old verb forms (doth, hath, wilt, shalt), and about two hundred everyday words such as anon (soon), ere (before), hark (listen), prithee (please), and wherefore (why, not where). Learn those and the plays open up fast. Use the search box below to find any word on this page in seconds.

How to Use This Shakespearean Dictionary

Get the most out of the table below with four simple habits. First, search before you scroll: typing “thou” finds thou, thee, thy, thine, and thyself in one go, because the search checks words and meanings together. Second, watch the four asterisked words: presently, mistress, ecstasy, and wherefore look familiar but meant something different in Shakespeare’s day, and an asterisked word is often the reason a line makes no sense. Third, read each example aloud: hearing “Prithee, tell me true” teaches the word faster than staring at the definition. Fourth, go beyond single words when a whole line puzzles you: paste it into our Shakespeare to English translator, and master the pronouns with our thee, thou, thy, thine meaning chart.

Search the Shakespearean dictionary

Word	Meaning	Example
abide	Endure, tolerate	“I cannot abide his pride.” I cannot tolerate his pride.
abjure	Renounce on oath	“I abjure thee.” I renounce you on oath.
adieu	Goodbye	“Adieu, my love.” Goodbye, my love.
ague	Fever with shivering	“He shakes with ague.” He shakes with fever.
alack	Alas, a cry of sorrow	“Alack, poor Yorick!” Alas, poor Yorick!
alarum	Call to arms	“Sound the alarum!” Sound the call to arms!
anon	Soon, at once	“I will come anon.” I will come soon.
apple-john	Withered apple	“Thou apple-john!” You withered old thing!
art	Are (used with thou)	“Thou art kind.” You are kind.
artless	Uncultured, unskilled	“Thou artless knave.” You uncultured rogue.
aught	Anything	“If aught remains.” If anything remains.
augury	Omen, prophecy	“An ill augury.” A bad omen.
ay	Yes	“Ay, my lord.” Yes, my lord.
baggage	Worthless woman (insult)	“Away, you baggage!” Away, you worthless woman!
bawd	Brothel keeper, lewd woman	“Thou bawd!” You lewd woman!
bawdy	Lewd, obscene	“Bawdy songs.” Lewd songs.
bedlam	Madhouse, chaos	“It is mere bedlam.” It is mere chaos.
belie	Misrepresent	“Belie him not.” Do not misrepresent him.
beseech	Beg earnestly	“I beseech thee, stay.” I beg you, stay.
beshrew	A mild curse, “curse on”	“Beshrew me!” Goodness me! (said in surprise)
betimes	Early, in good time	“Rise betimes.” Rise early.
betwixt	Between	“Betwixt love and duty.” Between love and duty.
bier	Stand for a coffin	“Laid upon the bier.” Laid upon the coffin stand.
billow	Great wave	“The billows rise.” The great waves rise.
bode	Foretell	“It bodes ill.” It foretells evil.
bondman	Slave	“A poor bondman.” A poor slave.
bosom	Chest, heart	“In my bosom.” In my heart.
braggart	Boaster	“Thou braggart!” You boaster!
breast	Heart, seat of feeling	“My breast is heavy.” My heart is heavy.
brine	Sea water, tears	“Salt brine.” Salt tears.
brook	Tolerate	“I brook no delay.” I tolerate no delay.
bugbear	Hobgoblin, scarecrow	“A mere bugbear.” A mere scarecrow.
canst	Can (used with thou)	“Thou canst do it.” You can do it.
charger	War horse	“Upon his charger.” Upon his war horse.
choleric	Hot-tempered	“A choleric lord.” A hot-tempered lord.
churl	Rude, low-born man	“Thou churl!” You rude fellow!
churlish	Rude	“Churlish words.” Rude words.
clarion	Trumpet	“The clarion sounds.” The trumpet sounds.
clotpole	Blockhead	“Thou clotpole!” You blockhead!
conjure	Earnestly entreat	“I conjure thee, speak.” I earnestly beg you, speak.
corse	Corpse	“The cold corse.” The cold corpse.
couldst	Could (used with thou)	“Couldst thou help?” Could you help?
countenance	Face, expression	“A stern countenance.” A stern face.
coz	Cousin, friend	“How now, coz?” How now, friend?
craven	Coward	“Thou craven!” You coward!
curst	Ill-tempered, shrewish	“A curst wife.” An ill-tempered wife.
currish	Doglike, cowardly	“Currish fear.” Cowardly fear.
cutpurse	Pickpocket	“A common cutpurse.” A common pickpocket.
dankish	Damp	“Dankish air.” Damp air.
deign	Condescend	“Deign to hear me.” Condescend to hear me.
didst	Did (used with thou)	“Thou didst it well.” You did it well.
dirge	Funeral song	“Sing a dirge.” Sing a funeral song.
dost	Do (used with thou)	“Dost thou hear?” Do you hear?
dote	Love foolishly	“I dote on thee.” I love you dearly.
doth	Does	“He doth protest.” He does protest.
doublet	Close-fitting jacket	“His torn doublet.” His torn jacket.
dumps	Low spirits	“In the dumps.” Feeling blue.
ecstasy*	Madness, frenzy (not modern joy)	“The ecstasy of love.” The madness of love.
eke	Also, moreover	“Eke a scholar.” Also a scholar.
ensign	Flag, flag-bearer	“Bear the ensign.” Carry the flag.
entreat	Beg	“I entreat thee.” I beg you.
ere	Before	“Ere night falls.” Before night falls.
erewhile	A while ago	“Erewhile he left.” A while ago he left.
eschew	Avoid, shun	“Eschew evil.” Avoid evil.
even	Evening	“At even.” In the evening.
fain	Gladly	“I would fain stay.” I would gladly stay.
fare thee well	Goodbye	“Fare thee well.” Goodbye.
fawning	Flattering	“Fawning words.” Flattering words.
fie	Shame	“Fie upon thee!” Shame on you!
firmament	Sky	“The brave firmament.” The noble sky.
foot-licker	Flatterer	“Thou foot-licker!” You flatterer!
forbear	Hold back, refrain	“Forbear thy hand.” Hold back your hand.
forsooth	Truly, indeed	“Forsooth, it is so.” Truly, it is so.
forswear	Renounce, swear falsely	“Forswear it.” Renounce it.
frothy	Frivolous	“Frothy talk.” Frivolous talk.
froward	Disobedient, contrary	“A froward child.” A disobedient child.
gainsay	Deny, contradict	“None can gainsay it.” None can deny it.
gauntlet	Armored glove	“Throw the gauntlet.” Issue the challenge.
giglet	Frivolous girl	“Thou giglet!” You frivolous girl!
glib	Smooth-talking	“A glib tongue.” A smooth tongue.
goatish	Lustful	“Goatish lust.” Lustful desire.
good den	Good evening	“Good den, sir.” Good evening, sir.
good morrow	Good morning	“Good morrow!” Good morning!
gramercy	Thank you	“Gramercy, sir.” Thank you, sir.
gudgeon	Gullible person	“A mere gudgeon.” A mere dupe.
halberd	Spear-axe	“With halberd.” With spear-axe.
hap	Chance, luck	“By good hap.” By good luck.
haply	By chance, perhaps	“Haply he comes.” Perhaps he comes.
hark	Listen	“Hark! A bell.” Listen! A bell.
harpy	Shrewish woman	“Thou harpy!” You shrew!
hast	Have (used with thou)	“Thou hast my thanks.” You have my thanks.
hath	Has	“He hath a sword.” He has a sword.
hedge-born	Low-born	“Thou hedge-born knave!” You low-born rogue!
hence	From here, away	“Get thee hence!” Get away from here!
herald	Messenger	“A herald comes.” A messenger comes.
hie	Hurry	“Hie thee home.” Hurry home.
hither	To here	“Come hither.” Come here.
hose	Breeches	“His hose.” His breeches.
humours	Moods	“In good humours.” In good moods.
impertinent	Rude, presumptuous	“Impertinent boy!” Rude boy!
jarring	Discordant	“Jarring sounds.” Discordant sounds.
joust	Tournament combat	“A joust.” A tournament fight.
knave	Rogue; also a boy servant	“Thou knave!” You rogue!
knell	Funeral bell	“The knell tolls.” The funeral bell tolls.
lackaday	Alas	“Lackaday!” Alas!
languish	Waste away	“I languish.” I waste away.
lief	Gladly	“I had as lief go.” I would as gladly go.
liege	Lord, sovereign	“My liege.” My lord.
liegeman	Loyal subject	“My liegeman.” My loyal subject.
list	Listen	“List to me.” Listen to me.
lists	Tournament ground	“Enter the lists.” Enter the tournament.
liver	Seat of passion	“My liver burns.” My heart burns with love.
loggerhead	Blockhead	“Thou loggerhead!” You blockhead!
lout	Clumsy oaf	“Thou lout!” You oaf!
main	Ocean, sea	“The watery main.” The ocean.
malapert	Impudent	“Thou malapert!” You impudent one!
mammet	Puppet	“Thou mammet!” You puppet!
mark	Pay attention to	“Mark my words.” Heed my words.
marry	Indeed (a mild oath)	“Marry, yes.” Indeed, yes.
mayhap	Maybe	“Mayhap it rains.” Maybe it rains.
melancholy	Sadness	“In melancholy.” In sadness.
mewling	Whimpering	“Mewling babe.” Whimpering baby.
milksop	Weak, unmanly man	“Thou milksop!” You weakling!
minx	Impudent young woman	“Thou minx!” You impudent girl!
miscreant	Villain	“Thou miscreant!” You villain!
mishap	Misfortune	“A sad mishap.” A sad misfortune.
mistress*	Unmarried young woman (not the modern sense)	“Good mistress.” Good lady.
moldwarp	Mole	“Thou moldwarp!” You mole!
morrow	Morning, tomorrow	“On the morrow.” Tomorrow.
naught	Nothing	“All came to naught.” All came to nothing.
nay	No	“Nay, I will not.” No, I will not.
nigh	Near	“The end is nigh.” The end is near.
noddle	Head	“Thy noddle.” Your head.
nymph	Beautiful maiden	“O nymph!” O beautiful maiden!
oft	Often	“Oft have I heard.” Often have I heard.
oftentimes	Often	“He comes oftentimes.” He comes often.
orb	World, sphere	“This earthly orb.” This world.
palfrey	Riding horse	“A gentle palfrey.” A gentle riding horse.
paramour	Lover	“His paramour.” His lover.
parley	Truce talk	“Sound a parley.” Call a truce talk.
pate	Head	“Thy pate.” Your head.
paunchy	Pot-bellied	“Paunchy knave.” Pot-bellied rogue.
pennon	Small flag	“A pennon.” A small flag.
peevish	Irritable	“A peevish child.” An irritable child.
perchance	Perhaps	“Perchance he comes.” Perhaps he comes.
Phoebus	The sun	“Phoebus rises.” The sun rises.
pickthank	Flatterer	“A pickthank.” A flatterer.
pine	Waste away with longing	“I pine for thee.” I long for you.
pish	A sound of contempt	“Pish!” Pshaw!
poniard	Dagger	“A poniard.” A dagger.
portent	Omen	“A dire portent.” A dire omen.
prate	Idle chatter	“End thy prate.” End your chatter.
presently*	Immediately (not “in a little while”)	“Come presently.” Come immediately.
prithee	Please (from “I pray thee”)	“Prithee, tell me.” Please, tell me.
puking	Vomiting	“Mewling and puking.” Whimpering and vomiting.
puny	Small and weak	“A puny lad.” A small weak lad.
puttock	Kite (bird of prey), base person	“Thou puttock!” You base fellow!
qualm	Sudden doubt or sickness	“A qualm seized him.” A sudden doubt seized him.
rapier	Thin sword	“Draw thy rapier.” Draw your sword.
recreant	Coward, traitor	“Thou recreant!” You coward!
rheum	Head cold, mucus	“A rheum.” A head cold.
ruttish	Lustful	“Ruttish deeds.” Lustful deeds.
sage	Wise man	“A sage.” A wise man.
sanguine	Confident, hopeful	“Sanguine hopes.” Confident hopes.
saucy	Cheeky, impudent	“Thou saucy boy!” You cheeky boy!
scold	Nagging woman	“A common scold.” A common nag.
sennight	A week (seven nights)	“A sennight hence.” A week from now.
shalt	Shall (used with thou)	“Thou shalt go.” You shall go.
shouldst	Should (used with thou)	“Thou shouldst rest.” You should rest.
shrewish	Nagging	“A shrewish tongue.” A nagging tongue.
shroud	Burial cloth	“In thy shroud.” In your burial cloth.
sirrah	Mister (used to inferiors)	“Come, sirrah.” Come, fellow.
sith	Since, because	“Sith thou sayest so.” Since you say so.
smooth	Flattering	“Smooth words.” Flattering words.
soft	Be quiet, wait	“Soft! Who comes?” Quiet! Who comes?
soothsayer	Fortune teller	“The soothsayer warns.” The fortune teller warns.
spleen	Seat of strong feeling	“My spleen rises.” My passion rises.
spleenful	Passionate, angry	“Spleenful wrath.” Passionate anger.
steed	Horse	“A noble steed.” A noble horse.
strumpet	Prostitute	“Thou strumpet!” You harlot!
suffer	Allow, endure	“Suffer me to pass.” Allow me to pass.
supplicate	Beg humbly	“I supplicate thee.” I humbly beg you.
swain	Young lover	“A gentle swain.” A gentle young lover.
sweeting	Sweetheart	“My sweeting.” My sweetheart.
swoon	Faint	“She swoons.” She faints.
tarry	Wait, linger	“Tarry here.” Wait here.
tattle	Gossip	“Tattle not.” Do not gossip.
thence	From there	“He came thence.” He came from there.
thine	Yours; your (before a vowel)	“Thine eyes.” Your eyes.
thither	To there	“Go thither.” Go there.
thou	You (subject, informal singular)	“Thou art kind.” You are kind.
thrall	Slave, captive	“In thrall.” Enslaved.
thyself	Yourself	“Know thyself.” Know yourself.
thy	Your	“Thy name.” Your name.
’tis	It is	“‘Tis true.” It is true.
traduce	Slander	“Traduced by lies.” Slandered by lies.
tush	An exclamation of impatience	“Tush, tush!” Nonsense!
’twill	It will	“‘Twill rain.” It will rain.
’twas	It was	“‘Twas night.” It was night.
’twere	It were	“‘Twere best to go.” It were best to go.
van	Vanguard	“In the van.” In the vanguard.
varlet	Rascal	“Away, varlet!” Away, rascal!
vassal	Servant, subject	“My vassal.” My servant.
verily	Truly	“Verily, yes.” Truly, yes.
visage	Face	“A fair visage.” A fair face.
vouchsafe	Grant graciously	“Vouchsafe an answer.” Grant an answer.
wayward	Unruly	“Wayward youth.” Unruly youth.
weedy	Scrawny	“A weedy lad.” A scrawny lad.
weird	Fate, destiny	“The weird sisters.” The fated sisters.
welkin	Sky	“The welkin rings.” The sky rings.
welladay	Alas	“Welladay!” Alas!
whence	From where	“Whence camest thou?” Where did you come from?
wherefore*	Why (not “where”)	“Wherefore art thou Romeo?” Why are you Romeo?
whey-face	Pale, cowardly face	“Thou whey-face!” You pale coward!
whither	To where	“Whither goest thou?” Where are you going?
whoreson	Bastard (a vulgar insult)	“Thou whoreson!” You bastard!
wight	Person, creature	“A gentle wight.” A gentle person.
wilt	Will (used with thou)	“Thou wilt come.” You will come.
wit	Intelligence	“Quick wit.” Sharp intelligence.
wittol	Cuckold	“Thou wittol!” You cuckold!
woo	Court, seek in love	“He woos her.” He courts her.
wot	Know	“I wot not.” I know not.
wouldst	Would (used with thou)	“Wouldst thou go?” Would you go?
yea	Yes	“Yea, verily.” Yes, truly.
ye	You (plural or formal, subject)	“Hear ye!” Hear you all!
yesternight	Last night	“On yesternight.” Last night.
yonder	Over there	“Yonder window.” That distant window.
zounds	“God’s wounds,” a strong oath	“Zounds!” Good heavens!

Is Shakespearean English the Same as Old English?

No. Shakespeare wrote in Early Modern English, the language of the 1500s and 1600s, which stays close enough to ours that you can learn it in weeks. Old English is the far older language of Beowulf, spoken nearly a thousand years earlier, and it is almost unreadable without serious study. Many people search for an old English translator when they really want Shakespearean English, so we built both: this Shakespearean dictionary for the Bard's own words, and our old English translator page for the older tongue.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between thee, thou, and you?

In Shakespeare's English, "thou" is the subject form ("thou art," you are), "thee" is the object form ("I love thee," I love you), and "you" was the plural or the formal singular. Think of thou and thee as the informal "you," used with friends, family, and inferiors. Our thee, thou, thy, thine meaning chart lays out every form with real examples.

What does "wherefore art thou Romeo" mean?

"Wherefore" means "why," not "where." Juliet is asking, "Why are you Romeo, a Montague?" She knows exactly where he is standing. She is lamenting that the boy she loves carries the name of her family's enemy.

What does prithee mean?

"Prithee" means "please." It is a contraction of "I pray thee," so "Prithee, tell me true" means "Please, tell me the truth." It was the everyday polite word of Shakespeare's London.

Is Shakespearean English hard to learn?

Less hard than it looks. The grammar stays close to modern English, the pronouns follow one simple chart, and the working vocabulary is only a few hundred words. Most readers feel comfortable after a few weeks of steady reading with a dictionary like this one beside the text. Our plain guide to what Shakespearean English is explains the whole system.

How many words are in this Shakespearean dictionary?

More than 200, each checked against Shakespeare's actual usage, with the four meaning-shifted traps marked with asterisks. It covers the pronouns, the verb forms, and the everyday words that appear again and again across the plays and poems. For a shorter themed list, see our Shakespearean words and meanings glossary.

What is the fastest way to translate a full Shakespeare line?

For single words, search this page. For whole lines, paste them into our Shakespeare to English translator, which decodes thou, thee, thy, and the old verb endings automatically. To go the other way, our Shakespeare translator turns your modern English into Shakespearean style, and translate into Shakespearean covers that direction in depth.

Keep exploring the language: practice writing with how to write like Shakespeare, try the older tongues with our medieval English translator and archaic English translator, and have fun with the Shakespeare insult generator and Shakespeare compliment generator.

Shakespearean Dictionary | 200+ Words & Meanings