bookish

[book-ish]

adjective

1. given or devoted to reading or study.

2. more acquainted with books than with real life.

3. of or relating to books; literary.

4. stilted; pedantic.

   Synonyms: scholastic, academic

bookish

/ ˈbʊkɪʃ /

adjective

1. fond of reading; studious

2. consisting of or forming opinions or attitudes through reading rather than direct personal experience; academic

   a bookish view of life

3. of or relating to books

   a bookish career in publishing

Other Word Forms

• bookishly adverb
• bookishness noun
• nonbookish adjective
• nonbookishly adverb
• nonbookishness noun
• overbookish adjective
• overbookishly adverb
• overbookishness noun
• unbookish adjective
• unbookishly adverb
• unbookishness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bookish¹

First recorded in 1560–70; book + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

His carefully rehearsed lines and bookish glasses earned the self-confessed geek the unwelcome nickname of "Robot Jetten" in his early career.

Read more on Barron's

From her bookish Ohio upbringing to her early forays into feature writing, her anecdotes sing with the pleasure of a person born to her passion and purpose.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

As a child, Baldwin is marginalized for being too sensitive, too bookish, a “sissy.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” is the kind of warm romance that will make any bookish dreamer swoon, as a thoroughly modern woman with old-fashioned ideas about love experiences her own Austenesque tumble.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

If your stocking was a little lacking in the literary department, there are plenty of bookish delights heading your way in 2025.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• brainy 
• studious