bookish
Americanadjective
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given or devoted to reading or study.
-
more acquainted with books than with real life.
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of or relating to books; literary.
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stilted; pedantic.
- Synonyms:
- scholastic, academic
adjective
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fond of reading; studious
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consisting of or forming opinions or attitudes through reading rather than direct personal experience; academic
a bookish view of life
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of or relating to books
a bookish career in publishing
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bookish
Explanation
Someone bookish likes books a lot. They're either studious or always seem to be reading. Some people don't like studying. Others like studying a lot: it seems like their head is always in a book. Someone like that can be called bookish, because they are reading books all the time. Being bookish can mean someone is studious: an honors student is likely very bookish. Being bookish can also mean someone just enjoys reading. People in a book club are definitely bookish. This is a word for devoted readers.
Vocabulary lists containing bookish
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Eric, bookish and unathletic, grew up in 1920s Vienna.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Had Mitrovich been a more seasoned member of the bookish community, she might have heard the cautionary tale of Faleena Hopkins, an author of a series of self-published romances with “Cocky” in the title.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
This would become the definitive form of the 18th-century American plantation house; George Washington’s Mount Vernon is the most famous example, and the original Monticello was a similarly bookish performance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
His carefully rehearsed lines and bookish glasses earned him the unwelcome nickname of "Robot Jetten" in his early career.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026
“My second. Brynden is my eldest, and my heir. Next comes Hoster. A bookish boy, I fear.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
