Thack·er·ay (th?k??-r?, th?k?r?), William Makepeace 1811-1863. British writer whose novels, including Vanity Fair (1848), explore the ethical and social pretensions of largely amoral characters.Thack?er·ay·an adj.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Thackeray (??æk?r?) n (Biography) William Makepeace. 1811?63, English novelist, born in India. His novels, originally serialized, include Vanity Fair (1848), Pendennis (1850), Henry Esmond (1852), and The Newcomes (1855)Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014Thack?er?ay (??æk ? ri) n. William Makepeace, 1811?63, English novelist, born in India. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.