Sayings from Shakespeare – Words and Phrases He Gave Us

Shakespeare's writings provide the first known written use of over 1,700 words in English. Many are still in everyday use today.

A Language in Motion: Shakespeare's Playground

During Shakespeare's time, English had no standardised spelling and very loose grammar rules. This gave writers room to experiment. Shakespeare took full advantage, turning nouns into verbs, adding prefixes, and coining new compounds. His plays then spread those words across England through print and performance.

Words Shakespeare Gave Us

Life and Nature

• Alligator: a large, carnivorous reptile. (Romeo and Juliet, 5.1)
• Eyeball: the round part of the eye. (Henry VI Part 1, 4.7)
• Puppy dog: a young, domestic dog. (King John, 2.1)

Emotion and Behaviour

• Jaded: worn out; bored or past feeling. (Henry VI Part 2, 4.1)
• Lonely: feeling sad due to lack of companionship. (Coriolanus, 4.1)
• Obscene: repulsive or disgusting. (Love's Labour's Lost, 1.1)
• Rant: to speak at length in inflated language. (Hamlet, 5.1)
• Worthless: having no value or merit. (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, 4.2)

Daily Life

• Bedroom: a room for sleeping. (A Midsummer Night's Dream, 2.2)
• Downstairs: on a lower floor. (Henry IV Part 2, 2.4)
• Gossip: to talk casually, usually about others. (The Comedy of Errors, 5.1)
• Undress: to remove clothes. (The Taming of the Shrew, Induction 2)

Character Traits

• Critic: one who judges merit. (Love's Labour's Lost, 3.1)
• Fashionable: stylish. (Troilus and Cressida, 3.3)
• Manager: one who controls or administers. (Love's Labour's Lost, 1.2)
• Nervy: sinewy or strong; bold. (Coriolanus, 2.1)

Concepts

• Inaudible: unable to be heard. (All's Well That Ends Well, 5.3)
• Skim milk: milk with its cream removed. (Henry IV Part 1, 2.3)
• Traditional: conventional; long-established. (Richard III, 3.1)
• Zany: a clown's assistant. (Love's Labour's Lost, 5.2)

More Words Still in Daily Use

Shakespeare's introduced terms have seamlessly integrated into everyday vocabulary:

• Accommodation (Othello)
• Amazement (The Tempest)
• Assassination (Macbeth)
• Baseless (The Tempest)
• Castigate (Timon of Athens)
• Countless (Titus Andronicus)
• Courtship (Love's Labour's Lost)
• Dishearten (Henry V)
• Dwindle (Macbeth)
• Eventful (As You Like It)
• Exposure (Troilus and Cressida)
• Fitful (Macbeth)
• Frugal (The Merry Wives of Windsor)
• Generous (Hamlet)
• Gloomy (Henry VI Part 1)
• Laughable (The Merchant of Venice)
• Majestic (Julius Caesar)
• Monumental (The Rape of Lucrece)
• Radiance (All's Well That Ends Well)
• Suspicious (Henry VI Part 1)

Phrases Popularised by Shakespeare

Shakespeare had a gift for a phrase that sticks:

• "All the world's a stage" (As You Like It)
• "Brave new world" (The Tempest)
• "Good riddance" (Troilus and Cressida)
• "In a pickle" (The Tempest)
• "It's Greek to me" (Julius Caesar)
• "One fell swoop" (Macbeth)
• "For goodness' sake" (Henry VIII)
• "Break the ice" (The Taming of the Shrew)
• "Cruel to be kind" (Hamlet)
• "Love is blind" (The Merchant of Venice)
• "A heart of gold" (Henry V)
• "Green-eyed monster" (Othello)
• "Method to his madness" (Hamlet)
• "Wear my heart upon my sleeve" (Othello)

Shakespeare's Lasting Influence

Some of these words and phrases likely existed in spoken language before Shakespeare wrote them down. His plays were often simply the first place they appeared in print. Once printed and performed, they spread. The ones that described something people needed a word for (jaded, lonely, bedroom) stayed in the language permanently.

Every time you use one of these expressions, you are, without knowing it, quoting a play written more than 400 years ago.

Sources and Further Reading

• Folger Shakespeare Library: Full texts
• Shakespeare Birthplace Trust: Shakespeare's Words