man of letters

American  

noun

1. a man engaged in literary pursuits, especially a professional writer.

2. a man of great learning; scholar.

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Etymology

Origin of man of letters

First recorded in 1635–45

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

man of letters

It was Smith, the man of letters, who is remembered for the phrase “invisible hand.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

He was Scotland's last freelance man of letters, equally and happily at home between the covers of books and the pages of newspapers, able to turn his hand, it seemed, to any commission.

From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026

Mallon, a distinguished man of letters, moved to Manhattan at 32, holding a PhD from Harvard and a dissertation that became his acclaimed 1984 book, “A Book of One’s Own.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2025

Mr. Epstein could be described as a man of letters with a feel for commerce or as a man of business with a taste for fine literature, and both would be correct.

From New York Times ● Feb. 4, 2022

The effect was to give a political direction to what should have been the career of a man of letters.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 8 "Hudson River" to "Hurstmonceaux" by Various

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