lettered

American  

[let-erd] / ˈlɛt ərd /

adjective

1. educated or learned.

2. of, relating to, or characterized by learning or literary culture.

3. marked with or as if with letters.

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lettered British  

/ ˈlɛtəd /

adjective

1. well educated in literature, the arts, etc

2. literate

3. of or characterized by learning or culture

4. printed or marked with letters

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Other Word Forms

• well-lettered adjective

Etymology

Origin of lettered

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; letter ¹, -ed ³

Explanation

Describing a friend as lettered is a compliment — you're remarking on her educational success and knowledge. People are especially lettered when they've read a lot of books. Though you'd never want to describe yourself as lettered — you'd sound like a show off — it's a great way to describe a scholarly friend. Lettered people are well-educated and well-read, and are often academics, either teaching or researching their areas of interest. The origin of lettered is littera, "letter of the alphabet" or "document," and its plural form, litteræ, which means "literature or books."

Example Sentences

The numbered and lettered speaker columns near the main stage are always a good option.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2024

And, in an odd side effect, it upended Khan el-Khalili’s normally placid gold jewelry and bullion stores, with their old-fashioned curly lettered signage and the Quranic recitations drifting ceaselessly from dusty speakers.

From New York Times • Mar. 5, 2024

Sitting in front of the Wales Millennium Centre's famous lettered windows, Mr Farrow said the cost of "just opening the doors and running this facility" has gone up by £1m per year since 2019.

From BBC • Nov. 18, 2023

He lettered from 1963-65 on Kentucky’s varsity under Charlie Bradshaw after playing on the freshman squad and was a consensus first team All-America as a senior.

From Washington Times • Oct. 30, 2023

The new invitation, designed by Ashima, the English translation lettered by Gogol, is the only thing that isn’t a leftover.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri