literary

American  

[lit-uh-rer-ee] / ˈlɪt əˌrɛr i /

adjective

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

   literary history.

2. pertaining to authorship.

   literary style.

3. versed in or acquainted with literature; well-read.

4. engaged in or having the profession of literature or writing.

   a literary man.

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

6. preferring books to actual experience; bookish.

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literary British  

/ ˈlɪtrərɪ, ˈlɪtərərɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, concerned with, or characteristic of literature or scholarly writing

   a literary discussion

   a literary style

2. versed in or knowledgeable about literature

   a literary man

3. (of a word) formal; not colloquial

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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

• literarily adverb
• literariness noun
• nonliterarily adverb
• nonliterarilyness noun
• nonliterariness noun
• nonliterary adjective
• overliterarily adverb
• overliterariness noun
• overliterary adjective
• preliterary adjective
• pseudoliterary adjective
• quasi-literary adjective
• unliterary adjective

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.

Example Sentences

The rise of a BookTok chart does not necessarily mean traditional lists are disappearing, but it may suggest a shift in the literary landscape.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

Once-common literary references to Shakespeare or Dickens have now become as obscure in the common culture as so many Mayan inscriptions.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

Another is Liu Xiaobo, a literary critic and human rights activist, who authored a manifesto calling for democratic reform in China and was arrested in 2008.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

Still, she said ongoing book bans are threatening those strides toward a more diverse literary marketplace.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

The 588th produced their own literary magazine, and the infinitely creative navigator Zhenya Rudneva sometimes gathered everyone around her at the airfield while she recited fairy tales.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• classical
• scholarly