bookish
Americanadjective
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given or devoted to reading or study.
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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.
The bookish space, says Rebecca, 44, a bookseller, “isn’t perfectly aligned on everything. We don’t all like the same authors or even the same genres. I don’t think anyone expects that.”
From Salon • Jul. 7, 2026
Thomas Harris grew up in the South as a bookish outcast, reading the works of Ernest Hemingway and Jonathan Swift.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 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
It’s a simplistic vision of the world that could appeal to and be well understood by bookish children like me.
From Slate • Jan. 14, 2026
The Union Square area is the place to be for the bookish crowds.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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.
