writerly

American  

[rahy-ter-lee] / ˈraɪ tər li /

adjective

1. characteristic or typical of an author, especially a professional one.

2. markedly literary.

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writerly British  

/ ˈraɪtəlɪ /

adjective

1. of or characteristic of a writer; literary

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Etymology

Origin of writerly

First recorded in 1955–60; writer ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

If the goal is writerly independence, then drawing the red line at writing protects the independence of the final product far less than one might hope.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026

Imagine a voice-dictation AI that knows when to automatically insert semicolons; be still my writerly heart.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 24, 2026

Em dashes are among the most writerly of punctuation marks precisely because they don’t really need to be there.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2025

It’s a writerly tic, the retro habit of referring to women by the color of their hair, but as noun rather than adjective.

From New York Times • Sep. 17, 2023

How could a seasoned author like John Keegan, a man who shows frequent flashes of writerly flair, serve as a model of incoherent writing, comparing badly with a guy who sells birdseed on Cape Cod?

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker