William Lewis Safire (December 17, 1929 – September 27, 2009) was an American author, columnist, and former journalist and presidential speechwriter.

He was perhaps best known as a long-time syndicated political columnist for The New York Times and a regular contributor to "On Language" in the New York Times Magazine, a column on popular etymology, new or unusual usages, and other language-related topics.

Born to a Jewish family called Safir, William later added the "e" for pronunciation reasons, though some of his relatives continue to use the original spelling. Safire is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, a public school in New York City. He attended Syracuse University but dropped out after having attended only two years. He would later deliver the 1978 commencement address at Syracuse and became a trustee of the university.