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

The steel fence that a cosplaying Tolkien fan insists on erecting in Middle of Nowhere, Mont., to block his survivalist neighbors’ horses.

From The Wall Street Journal

"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

Tolkien, in part for the reprieve they offer from the dreary and mundane.

From The Wall Street Journal

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