bookish
Americanadjective
-
given or devoted to reading or study.
-
more acquainted with books than with real life.
-
of or relating to books; literary.
-
stilted; pedantic.
- Synonyms:
- scholastic, academic
adjective
-
fond of reading; studious
-
consisting of or forming opinions or attitudes through reading rather than direct personal experience; academic
a bookish view of life
-
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
Etymology
Origin of bookish
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.
His carefully rehearsed lines and bookish glasses earned him the unwelcome nickname of "Robot Jetten" in his early career.
From Barron's
The rapidly growing rail system is a symbol of India’s modernization, and Charu’s bookish father, a workshop manager, believes in the progress it presages.
“You see, this is what I was telling you. My brother used to be a bookish but chatty boy. Very bright. Skipped ahead two whole grades. Awkward but lovable.”
From Literature
Dan, as bookish as he is athletic, approaches matters in a calmer register: “How should I conduct my life? Do you trust yourself, or do you not?”
From Los Angeles Times
Standing on the touchline wearing his bookish glasses and polo neck jumper while holding a notebook, Rosenior looked more like a young college lecturer than a Premier League manager.
From Barron's
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.
