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

From Salon • Mar. 29, 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

After the war, Lewis and Tolkien were brought together in 1925, when the two took positions at the University of Oxford.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

"There aren't many funny bits in Mr Tolkien either," Matilda said.

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl