poetaster

noun

po·et·as·ter ˈpō-ə-ˌta-stər

: an inferior poet

Did you know?

In Latin, the suffix -aster indicates partial resemblance. In both Latin and English, that often translates to "second-rate," or maybe even "third-rate." Not surprisingly, "poetaster" often goes hand in hand with doggerel, meaning "verse marked by triviality or inferiority." Are there are other kinds of "-asters" out there? Yes indeed - we have criticasters, philosophasters, and politicasters, among others.

Example Sentences

she's a poetaster whose verse never rises above what is found on greeting cards

Recent Examples on the Web Heti’s detractors could probably put a bottle in the middle of a table and entertain themselves reading lines out of context in suave, poetaster voices.

New York Times, 7 Feb. 2022 But -aster words have never been particularly common, with the exception of poetaster, an inferior poet.

Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'poetaster.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.