Trilling

American  

[tril-ing] / ˈtrɪl ɪŋ /

noun

1. Lionel, 1905–75, U.S. critic and author.

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Trilling British  

/ ˈtrɪlɪŋ /

noun

1. Lionel . 1905–75, US literary critic, whose works include The Liberal Imagination (1950) and Sincerity and Authenticity (1974)

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Example Sentences

“Love and Death in the American Novel” made its case without bothering with notes or bibliography, yet garnered praise from such eminent critics as Lionel Trilling and George Steiner.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

He could riff in his writings on the cultural theories of Susan Sontag, Lionel Trilling and R.D.

From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2024

Brustein was part of an intellectual tradition that included Eric Bentley, Lionel Trilling and Susan Sontag — writers and thinkers who wrote with an eye to the grand synthesis.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 8, 2023

For our purposes here, what matters is something Trilling himself does not dilate on: the role of the liberal society of Victorian England in precipitating the protagonist's crisis.

From Salon • Sep. 9, 2023

Miss Trilling sang a love song with much expression, and responded to an encore with a humorous selection.

From The First Soprano by Hitchcock, Mary