readership

American  

[ree-der-ship] / ˈri dərˌʃɪp /

noun

1. the people who read or are thought to read a particular book, newspaper, magazine, etc..

   The periodical has a dwindling readership.

2. the duty, status, or profession of a reader.

3. (especially in British universities) the position of instructor or lecturer.

4. the state or quality of being a reader.

   appealing to a higher level of readership.

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readership British  

/ ˈriːdəʃɪp /

noun

1. all the readers collectively of a particular publication or author

   a readership of five million

   Dickens's readership

2. the office, position, or rank of university reader

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Etymology

Origin of readership

First recorded in 1710–20; reader + -ship

Explanation

Readership is another way to talk about all the readers of a particular book or periodical. If your online magazine has a readership of five, and one of them is your mom, it's not a roaring success. A newspaper, website, or author's readership is their audience — it's the group of people who regularly read their publication. The local zine writer might have a readership in the dozens, while the Harry Potter books have a vast readership, numbering in the millions. When newspapers and magazines started to lose their readerships, many turned their attention to online versions.

Example Sentences

It bought HuffPost in 2021 to bolster its readership and offerings to advertisers.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

Not only has a slew of HR complaints tempered her icy remarks, but slashed budgets and declining readership have forced her hand.

From Salon • May 6, 2026

However, he focused on maintaining the book’s tone and found “the readership is actually very forgiving if you keep the characters whole and intact, but give them more to do.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

By highlighting his cinephilia, this wonderful book brings Kurosawa closer to the film buffs who will undoubtedly make up its grateful readership.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

As children of their own societies, these early historians naturally emphasized the culture they knew best, the culture their readership most wanted to hear about.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann