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
- 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.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the gripe was “stick to reading, writing and ‘rithmetic,” which implies hostility toward expanding those lessons to more complex ideas like literary analysis, critical thinking, and higher math and sciences.
From Salon • Mar. 30, 2026
His research presented the models with increasingly far-fetched variations of a simple text, asking them to rate sentences out of 10 for literary quality.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
On Wednesday, she hosted a literary reception at Clarence House to celebrate the fifth anniversary of her Reading Room book club charity.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s standards of literary criticism, like his philosophy, are focused on realism, felt experience and humanity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
“I hope you enjoyed my literary treasure hunt, despite Mr. Remora’s antics,” he said.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
