Tolkien

[ tohl-keen, tol- ]

/ ˈtoʊl kin, ˈtɒl- /

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noun

J(ohn) R(onald) R(eu·el)

[roo-uhl], /ˈru əl/, 1892–1973, English novelist, philologist, and teacher, born in South Africa.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Words nearby Tolkien

toleration, toleware, tolidine, Tolima, to little purpose, Tolkien, Tolkien, J. R. R., toll, tollage, toll bar, tollbooth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Tolkien in a sentence

So, of course, in keeping with Tolkien’s themes, the Harfoots must play a major role in this saga.
An Extremely Detailed Breakdown of the Rings of Power Trailer|Eliana Dockterman|July 14, 2022|Time
They used Tolkien’s lore as a guide and filled in the gaps, condensing the long history of the era to create one action-packed show.
An Extremely Detailed Breakdown of the Rings of Power Trailer|Eliana Dockterman|July 14, 2022|Time
The night before a cross-country excursion, sit down with a Tolkien tale or queue up an exciting film.
Get your kids’ hearts beating by teaching them to cross-country ski|Noah Lederman|January 28, 2022|Popular-Science
In a Silicon Valley equivalent of Tolkien alchemy, his Roth would transform those PayPal shares into a tax-free fortune — one that would be safer than all the gems, gold and silver in the dragon Smaug’s mountain.
Lord of the Roths: How Tech Mogul Peter Thiel Turned a Retirement Account for the Middle Class Into a $5 Billion Tax-Free Piggy Bank|by Justin Elliott, Patricia Callahan and James Bandler|June 24, 2021|ProPublica

Tolkien, channeling something similar, conjured the Eye of Sauron.
McConaughey’s ‘Stand’—And Ours|James Poulos|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You almost wish Tolkien had stopped with six dwarves [laughs].
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth|Alex Suskind|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was a bit of an uproar from Tolkien purists about her being included in...
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth|Alex Suskind|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Smith survived the night patrol, and met Tolkien again on the fringes of the Battle of the Somme that summer.
Why World War I Is at the Heart of ‘Lord of the Rings’|John Garth|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For Tolkien, the tale into which 1914 had plunged him never ended.
Why World War I Is at the Heart of ‘Lord of the Rings’|John Garth|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for Tolkien

Tolkien

/ (ˈtɒlkiːn) /

noun

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)

Derived forms of Tolkien

Tolkienesque, adjective

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