John Millington Synge (16 April 1871 – 24 March 1909) was an Irish playwright, poet, prose writer, and collector of folklore. He was one of the co-founders of the Abbey Theatre. He is best known for his play The Playboy of the Western World, which caused riots during its opening run at the Abbey Theatre.

Synge suffered from Hodgkins disease, a form of cancer at the time untreatable. He died just weeks short of his 38th birthday and was at the time trying to complete his last play, The Last Black Supper.