literary
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or of the nature of books and writings, especially those classed as literature.
literary history.
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pertaining to authorship.
literary style.
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versed in or acquainted with literature; well-read.
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engaged in or having the profession of literature or writing.
a literary man.
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characterized by an excessive or affected display of learning; stilted; pedantic.
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preferring books to actual experience; bookish.
adjective
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of, relating to, concerned with, or characteristic of literature or scholarly writing
a literary discussion
a literary style
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versed in or knowledgeable about literature
a literary man
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(of a word) formal; not colloquial
Usage
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 Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of literary
1640–50; < Latin līterārius, litterārius of reading and writing. See letter 1, -ary
Explanation
Use literary when you want to indicate writing with high artistic qualities. Something doesn't have to be "literature" to be literary, but they are related. Literary comes from the Latin litterarius, meaning "letters," as in letters of the alphabet. Think of literary writing as writing that explores the richness of language or even contributes to it, especially in a high cultural way. The clever rhymes you invented about your grade school principal's bathing habits made your classmates laugh, but that doesn't make them great literary achievements.
Vocabulary lists containing literary
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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National Librarian Day
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Writing - Middle School
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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.
Zimbabwean writer Joe Ruzvidzo, whose novel Welcome to Anywhere came out last year, said he stood by Kundizeza and that it was time "to fight this literary stop-and-frisk", external.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
That point is proved time and again, as editors scheme against each other, belittle each other’s literary taste and throw Batter under the bus whenever an opportunity arises.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
In “Beowulf” and other works, these wetlands have also offered a useful literary metaphor as keepers of cultural memory and symbols of repressed terrors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Come for the many murmured quotes, stay for some top-notch literary analysis.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
For Monterey was not a town to let dishonor come to a literary man.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
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.
