Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🎭 Like Shaw 📚 A Shaw admirer
Shavian

Shavian

1 9.9
Relating to the plays and ideas of George Bernard Shaw
  • adjective
  • /ˈʃeɪviən/
  • Literature
: shaviano
  • Many critics regard the dialogue as powerfully Shavian in both tone and structure.

Examples

  • The production adopted a Shavian approach to challenging societal norms.

  • The director's new play revealed a distinctly Shavian wit and social criticism.

  • The play had a distinctly Shavian wit.

  • Many of Shaw's characters are Shavian in their complexity.

  • The play featured a Shavian wit that kept the audience engaged throughout.

  • Her writing style is distinctly Shavian, filled with clever dialogue and social commentary.

  • The director's interpretation of the classic had a Shavian flair that resonated with modern themes.

Surface Forms

Shavian positive

Morphology

Shavian = Shaw (transparent) = Shaw + ian

Standard adjectival formation with '-ian' meaning 'relating to' the person Shaw; learners familiar with the name will readily infer this meaning.

Etymology

Shavian as an adjective comes from Shaw and the ending -ian, which means 'of or related to'. So if something is described as Shavian, it shows the style, wit, or ideas of George Bernard Shaw.