Literary Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms literary American [lit-uh-rer-ee] / ˈlɪt əˌrɛr i /

adjective

1. pertaining to or of the nature of books and writings, especially those classed as literature.

   literary history.

2. pertaining to authorship.

   literary style.

3. versed in or acquainted with literature; well-read.

4. engaged in or having the profession of literature or writing.

   a literary man.

5. characterized by an excessive or affected display of learning; stilted; pedantic.

6. preferring books to actual experience; bookish.

literary British / ˈlɪtrərɪ, ˈlɪtərərɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, concerned with, or characteristic of literature or scholarly writing

   a literary discussion

   a literary style

2. versed in or knowledgeable about literature

   a literary man

3. (of a word) formal; not colloquial

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

In this dictionary, the label Literary is assigned to an entry term or definition that is used rarely in contemporary speech or writing except to create a literary, poetic, or evocative effect.

Other Word Forms

• literarily adverb
• literariness noun
• nonliterarily adverb
• nonliterarilyness noun
• nonliterariness noun
• nonliterary adjective
• overliterarily adverb
• overliterariness noun
• overliterary adjective
• preliterary adjective
• pseudoliterary adjective
• quasi-literary adjective
• unliterary adjective

Etymology

Origin of literary

1640–50; < Latin līterārius, litterārius of reading and writing. See letter 1, -ary

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Loren is the founding editor of the art and literary conceptual ‘tabloid’ On The Rag and curator of the reading series Casual Encountersz.

From Los Angeles Times

He death was confirmed to the BBC by his literary agent.

From BBC

“Not for nothing, I assume adult coloring books sell better than literary fiction,” says Zeiba.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2023, the guild secured various AI protections by establishing that AI isn’t a writer and nothing it produces is considered literary material.

From Los Angeles Times

For those who grew up with Ms. Blume’s star fixed immutably in their literary firmament, it’s hard to think of her success as a fluke of time and place.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• classical
• scholarly

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.