literary
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
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
-
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
- 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
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.
His show represents one of the most significant archives of conversations with major literary powerhouses from the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
From Los Angeles Times
More than 60 years have passed since her death in 1963, yet the literary myth that has taken the name Sylvia Plath lives on.
From Los Angeles Times
She wrote it while juggling a distinguished career at literary quarterlies and making a name for herself as an artist.
From Los Angeles Times
Well, if not obscure, at least more literary.
From Los Angeles Times
But what about the plight of the literary influencer?
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.
