literary

[ lit-uh-rer-ee ]

/ ˈlɪt əˌrɛr i /

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See synonyms for literary on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

pertaining to authorship: literary style.

versed in or acquainted with literature; well-read.

engaged in or having the profession of literature or writing: a literary man.

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

preferring books to actual experience; bookish.

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Origin of literary

1640–50; <Latin līterārius,litterārius of reading and writing. See letter¹, -ary

usage note for literary

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 WORDS FROM literary

lit·er·ar·i·ly, adverblit·er·ar·i·ness, nounnon·lit·er·ar·i·ly, adverbnon·lit·er·ar·i·ly·ness, noun

non·lit·er·ar·i·ness, nounnon·lit·er·ar·y, adjectiveo·ver·lit·er·ar·i·ly, adverbo·ver·lit·er·ar·i·ness, nouno·ver·lit·er·ar·y, adjectivepre·lit·er·ar·y, adjectivepseu·do·lit·er·ar·y, adjectivequa·si-lit·er·ar·y, adjectiveun·lit·er·ar·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use literary in a sentence

Beginning as a poet who worked closely with the late Joseph Brodsky, she completed a master’s degree in art history at the prestigious Courtauld Institute in London before turning to literary fiction.
Reading Nicole Krauss’s ‘To Be a Man’ feels like talking all night with a brilliant friend|Joan Frank|November 5, 2020|Washington Post
Yet, in biographies and literary history, her queerness has been largely erased.
Don’t miss these 2 books from award-winning queer writers|Kathi Wolfe|October 19, 2020|Washington Blade
Since then I started using it for all of my work, both literary and audiovisual.
A non-binary Cuban artist is born again in Spain|Yariel Valdés González|October 16, 2020|Washington Blade
They have done so through movies as well as a growing body of literary writings.
How Young, Queer Nigerians Use Twitter To Shape Identity And Fight Homophobia|LGBTQ-Editor|October 14, 2020|No Straight News

Over the years, however, I’ve come to realize that playing Flanagan’s game means approaching his horror stories not as horror but as literary family sagas that just happen to be lovingly crafted over the bones of ghost stories.
Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor is a calm, loving study in how to exorcise your ghosts|Aja Romano|October 9, 2020|Vox
Like Nate, the novel is literarily self-conscious, but Nate often reads to show off.
How to Get Laid in Brooklyn a la Adelle Waldman’s Nifty Novel of Manners|Tom LeClair|July 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Our drama is literally and literarily a farce, and no drama that any one expects to live has been written for more than a century.
Education: How Old The New|James J. Walsh
It must have become evident from this incomplete review that Iowa is literarily, to say the least, no longer inarticulate.
Prairie Gold|Various
I try to feel myself literarily a poet—finer-made than a god.
I, Mary MacLane|Mary MacLane
Here you have an opportunity of gossiping for hours with the young ladies, who are always very literarily inclined.
Tour in England, Ireland, and France, in the years 1826, 1827, 1828 and 1829.|Hermann Pckler-Muskau

British Dictionary definitions for literary

literary

/ (ˈlɪtərərɪ, ˈlɪtrərɪ) /

adjective

of, relating to, concerned with, or characteristic of literature or scholarly writinga literary discussion; a literary style

versed in or knowledgeable about literaturea literary man

(of a word) formal; not colloquial

Derived forms of literary

literarily, adverbliterariness, noun

Word Origin for literary

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

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

literary

Origin of literary

usage note for literary

OTHER WORDS FROM literary

Words related to literary

How to use literary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for literary

Derived forms of literary

Word Origin for literary