literary

[lit-uh-rer-ee]

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.

literary

/ 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

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of literary¹

1640–50; < Latin līterārius, litterārius of reading and writing. See letter ¹, -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of literary¹

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

Example Sentences

“Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated,” says the text over the photo, referencing a famous and famously misquoted line from the American literary icon.

From Los Angeles Times

Although those characters do not return for these new games, there’s still a nod to the literary classic this season.

From Salon

Reflecting on the long hours he spends alone in the recording booth, Pinchot, the Pasadena voice actor, describes the responsibility he feels to get it right for both authors and listeners in suitably literary terms.

From Los Angeles Times

A new literary prize in memory of author Dame Hilary Mantel has been set up to champion new writers.

From BBC

From the journals Metcalfe has surmised that Vivien, herself a brilliant literary scholar and teacher, had willfully lived out her marriage under Blundy’s shadow, the dutiful handmaiden to a literary eminence.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• classical 
• scholarly