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

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

Publisher Robert Bonner offered Fern an exclusive contract for $100 per column, which increased the New York Ledger’s readership from 2,500 to 180,000, and then to over 360,000 by 1860.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

“Now it is just time for the audience — the readership — to really put its money where its mouth is,” Williams said.

From Salon • Nov. 16, 2025

And the broader readership of the New York Times is not even in agreement with Ezra Klein on this one.

From Slate • Sep. 16, 2025

To a readership obliged to watch in disbelief as the legions toppled one Greek-speaking kingdom after the other, Polybius begged to offer some historical context.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro