ghostwrite means to write under the name of another (especially literary works). It carries an Arena rating of 1596, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, ghostwrite ranks #1,532 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #1,865 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,332 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #2,880 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words.
Why “ghostwrite” is a great word
To compose a text that will be published or presented under another person's name. Emerging in the early 20th century as a back-formation from 'ghostwriter,' the term marries the specter's unseen presence with the writer's tangible craft. Unlike 'coauthor,' which implies a shared, acknowledged credit, or 'plagiarize,' which involves theft, to ghostwrite is a consensual transaction of creative absence. It is the hand that drafts the memoirs it will never sign, the quiet engine of celebrity bookshelves, and the peculiar hollowness of hearing a phrase you crafted spoken with conviction in a stranger's voice—a profession where the ultimate success is the erasure of its own fingerprints.
Etymology
Back-formation from ghostwriter.
verb
- To write under the name of another (especially literary works).e.g.“Mariana would rather not ghostwrite for a living because she finds it a thankless task.”
- To author a literary work or speech in the place of another.e.g.“The president has someone to ghostwrite his addresses.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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