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.
Examples of poetaster in a Sentence
she's a poetaster whose verse never rises above what is found on greeting cards
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.
