actor
UK /ˈæk.təː/ · US /ˈæk.tɚ/ noun
Forms actors acter actour
- noun (obsolete, law) Someone who institutes a legal suit; a plaintiff or complainant.
- noun (obsolete) Someone acting on behalf of someone else; a guardian.
- noun Someone or something that takes part in some action; a doer, an agent.
- noun A person who acts a part in a theatrical play or (later) in film or television; a dramatic performer.
- noun (obsolete, Ancient Rome) An advocate or proctor in civil courts or causes.
- noun (grammar) The subject performing the action of a verb.
- noun (software engineering) The entity that performs a role (in use case analysis).
Synonyms
complainant plaintiff participant performer player doer role histrion thespian role player worker
Antonyms
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English actour, from Anglo-Norman actor, Middle French actor, and their source, Latin āctor (“doer”), from agō (“to do”). Equivalent to act + -or. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἄκτωρ (áktōr, “leader”), from ἄγω (ágō, “lead, carry, convey, bring”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [L. actor, fr. agere to act.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “actor”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details