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

Derived Forms

• Tolkienesque
  adjective

Example Sentences

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 obsessive – and his son Peter McGee are collaborating with screenwriter Philippa Boyens on a new “Lord of the Rings” film, for one.

From Salon • May 21, 2026

Colbert, who is well-known to be a JRR Tolkien superfan, will adapt an early section of the first Lord of the Rings novel, The Fellowship of the Ring, with his son, screenwriter Peter McGee.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 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

The word dagorath meant “battle,” but Tolkien had spelled the word with just one “g,” not two.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline