Dryden, John Syllabification: (Dry·den, John)Pronunciation: /ˈdrīdn/Definition of Dryden, John (1631–1700), English poet, critic, and playwright of the Augustan Age. He is best known for Marriage à la mode (1673), All for Love (1678), and Absalom and Achitophel (1681). Dryden, John in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of Dryden, John in the British & World English dictionary