Shavian

S1H4A1V4I1A1N1
/ˈʃeɪ.vɪ.ən/

adjective

Of or relating to George Bernard Shaw or his works.

Scrabble 13

Meanings

adjectiveShavian (not comparable)
  1. not comparableOf or relating to George Bernard Shaw or his works.

    Speaking as someone who supports the Shavian argument that monarchy is a bulwark against dictatorship, I found it a dignified occasion and a reminder that, as a nation, we seem to be infinitely better at staging public spectacles than at governing the country.

    2023 May 7, Michael Billington, “The Coronation review – immaculately rehearsed, touching and Shakespearean”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
    1 more example

    Possibly more than any other Shavian character, Undershaft engenders critical disagreement and discussion, even among the other characters in the play who call him “wicked” and “immoral” and refer to him in Devilish terms such as “Mephistoles” and “The Prince of Darkness”.

    1998, Christopher Innes, The Cambridge Companion to George Bernard Shaw, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 156
  2. not comparableOf or relating to the Shavian alphabet.

    As late as the 1960s, Shaw's own Androcles and the Lion was published in his revised alphabet—but the fact that few people have even heard of the Shavian spelling reform shows how futile the effort has been.

    2011, C.M. Millward, Mary Hayes, A Biography of the English Language, Cengage Learning, →ISBN, page 297
nounShavian (plural Shavians)

plural Shavians

  1. An admirer of Shaw, or an advocate of his ideas.

Origin

From Latin Shavi(us) + -an (a Latinized form of Shaw), named after George Bernard Shaw.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch shavish
  • shavishof or relating to Shaw or his works
French shavien
  • shavienof or relating to Shaw or his works
Italian sciaviano, sciaviana
  • sciavianoof or relating to Shaw or his works
  • sciavianaof or relating to Shaw or his works
  • sciavianoan admirer of Shaw or an advocate of his ideas
  • sciavianaan admirer of Shaw or an advocate of his ideas

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

Shavian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Shavian

MLA

“Shavian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Shavian. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Shavian,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Shavian.

Source: Shavian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.