Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

beckettian

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.03 in modern English

Syllables: beck-et-tian
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of or pertaining to the novelist and playwright Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) or his writings, noted for their bleak outlook and minimalism.

noun

A scholar of Samuel Beckett's writings.

Example Sentences

"The Beckettian progression appears occasionally: while Miss Counihan (static) is an omnivorous reader and Murphy (transitional) a strict non-reader, Cooper is an analphabete."
"They are shadowed by a robed chorus of Beckettian sages--Homer (Joseph Grimm), Hesiod (Gary Kelley), Herodotos (Daniel Parker) and Thucydides (Michael Rivkin)--given to Joseph Campbell-like pronouncements on the power of myth."
"This uncertainty often appears in Beckettian criticism—take the Scrutonian hesitation over Beckett's 'characters (if characters they can be called)', or John Pilling's admission that, in Beckett, character can become an 'impossibly complicated matter'."

Etymology

From Beckett + -ian.

Word Breakdown

Suffix: Beckett

Inflected Forms

more Beckettian (comparative) most Beckettian (superlative) Beckettians (plural)

Questions

What does beckettian mean?: Of or pertaining to the novelist and playwright Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) or his writings, noted for their bleak outlook and minimalism.
Where does beckettian come from?: From Beckett + -ian.

How to pronounce beckettian

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “beckettian”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “beckettian”.
Repeat and practice — Say “beckettian” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.