Leavis

American

[lee-vis] / ˈli vɪs /

noun

F(rank) R(aymond), 1895–1978, English critic and teacher.

Leavis British

/ ˈliːvɪs /

noun

F ( rank ) R ( aymond ). 1895–1978, English literary critic. He edited Scrutiny (1932–53) and his books include The Great Tradition (1948) and The Common Pursuit (1952)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Leavisite

adjective

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.

Leavis, he holds the genre to high standards.

From Washington Post • Nov. 10, 2022

"Never been a part of a team that had fans storm the field," said Kentucky quarterback Will Leavis, who transferred this summer from Penn State.

From Fox News • Oct. 2, 2021

Leavis, a well-known literary critic at Cambridge University, listed him in “The Great Tradition” as being up there with Jane Austen, George Eliot and Henry James.

From Economist • Nov. 2, 2017

The “American” was a judicious sop to Leavis.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 24, 2017

He lifts an opinion from Coleridge, takes something else from Frye or Empson or Leavis.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023