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.

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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)

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Other Word Forms

• Tolkienesque adjective

Example Sentences

Tolkien used his scholarly familiarity with ancient storytelling modes to create a world so vast it spills off of the page.

From The Wall Street Journal

His reference to Tolkien’s letters from the North Pole reminded me of how we used to dig up our yard to make sled tracks and reindeer footprints to create awe and wonder for our kids.

From The Wall Street Journal

Selected by Simon Tolkien, the author of the novels “The Palace at the End of the Sea” and “The Room of Lost Steps.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Tolkien used his scholarly familiarity with ancient storytelling modes to create a a world so vast it spills off of the page.

From The Wall Street Journal

Though John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s books are in no way a retelling of “Beowulf,” echoes of the Old English epic occur throughout.

From The Wall Street Journal