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Tolkien

American  
[tohl-keen, tol-] / ˈtoʊl kin, ˈtɒl- /

noun

  1. J(ohn) R(onald) R(euel) 1892–1973, English novelist, philologist, and teacher, born in South Africa.


Tolkien British  
/ ˈtɒlkiːn /

noun

  1. J ( ohn ) R ( onald ) R ( euel ). 1892–1973, British philologist and writer, born in South Africa. He is best known for The Hobbit (1937), the trilogy The Lord of the Rings (1954–55), and the posthumously published The Silmarillion (1977)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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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.

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She explained that the contact with Tolkien came about after Elgar had read some of his books.

From BBC Jul. 10, 2026

Their imaginations seem to have been fed on solely on “Starship Troopers” and little else except maybe some Tolkien.

From MarketWatch Jun. 1, 2026

Tolkien once described his defining high fantasy in a frequently quoted letter as “a fundamentally religious and Catholic work.”

From Salon Mar. 29, 2026

"But as Tolkien wrote, it's the small, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay, small acts of kindness and love," he said.

From Barron's Feb. 3, 2026

Epic in scope, violence, and imagination, Deathstorm is a new benchmark in the fantasy genre and cements forever G. M. Pennington’s status as the American Tolkien.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

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