literary

[lit-uh-rer-ee]

adjective

1. pertaining to or of the nature of books and writings, especially those classed as literature.

   literary history.

2. pertaining to authorship.

   literary style.

3. versed in or acquainted with literature; well-read.

4. engaged in or having the profession of literature or writing.

   a literary man.

5. characterized by an excessive or affected display of learning; stilted; pedantic.

6. preferring books to actual experience; bookish.

literary

/ ˈlɪtrərɪ, ˈlɪtərərɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, concerned with, or characteristic of literature or scholarly writing

   a literary discussion

   a literary style

2. versed in or knowledgeable about literature

   a literary man

3. (of a word) formal; not colloquial

Usage

In this dictionary, the label Literary is assigned to an entry term or definition that is used rarely in contemporary speech or writing except to create a literary, poetic, or evocative effect.

Other Word Forms

• literarily adverb
• literariness noun
• nonliterarily adverb
• nonliterarilyness noun
• nonliterariness noun
• nonliterary adjective
• overliterarily adverb
• overliterariness noun
• overliterary adjective
• preliterary adjective
• pseudoliterary adjective
• quasi-literary adjective
• unliterary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of literary¹

1640–50; < Latin līterārius, litterārius of reading and writing. See letter ¹, -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of literary¹

C17: from Latin litterārius concerning reading and writing. See _letter

Example Sentences

Based in Salt Lake City, he’s long championed outlaw writers, western Americana and literary misfits — none more so than his late friend, Edward Abbey.

From Los Angeles Times

Large commercial rewards have been reaped from these crossbred literary partnerships.

From Los Angeles Times

Her first writing gig was for a PBS children’s show called “Wishbone,” about a Jack Russell terrier who imagines himself as a character in literary classics.

From Los Angeles Times

Renowned as a queen of literary horror — her stories brim with ghosts, werewolves, zombie infants — here she reveals a realist side, journalistic yet intimate.

From Los Angeles Times

“Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated,” says the text over the photo, referencing a famous and famously misquoted line from the American literary icon.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• classical 
• scholarly