Literature Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Related Words

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms literature American [lit-er-uh-cher, -choor, li-truh-] / ˈlɪt ər ə tʃər, -ˌtʃʊər, ˈlɪ trə- /

noun

1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays.

2. the entire body of writings of a specific language, period, people, etc..

   the literature of England.

3. the writings dealing with a particular subject.

   the literature of ornithology.

4. the profession of a writer or author.

5. literary work or production.

6. any kind of printed material, as circulars, leaflets, or handbills.

   literature describing company products.

7. Archaic. polite learning; literary culture; appreciation of letters and books.

literature British / ˈlɪtərɪtʃə, ˈlɪtrɪ- /

noun

1. written material such as poetry, novels, essays, etc, esp works of imagination characterized by excellence of style and expression and by themes of general or enduring interest

2. the body of written work of a particular culture or people

   Scandinavian literature

3. written or printed matter of a particular type or on a particular subject

   scientific literature

   the literature of the violin

4. printed material giving a particular type of information

   sales literature

5. the art or profession of a writer

6. obsolete learning

"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

What is literature? Literature is writing that uses artistic expression and form and is considered to have merit or be important.As an artistic term, literature refers to written works, such as novels, short stories, biographies, memories, essays, and poetry. However, songs, movies, TV shows, video games, and paintings are typically not considered to be literature because the final output is not text.At the same time, literature is usually thought to only include works of art. Informative works like newspapers, scientific journals, religious texts, press releases, and spreadsheets are generally not considered to be literature.Yet in scientific study, especially anthropology or history, the word literature is used more broadly to describe everything that a specific society or group has ever written. For example, a researcher may be studying “Persian literature,” which would include even mundane, non-artistic pieces of writing that was created by a citizen of the Persian empire, such as lists of food supplies.

Related Words

Literature, belles-lettres, letters refer to artistic writings worthy of being remembered. In the broadest sense, literature includes any type of writings on any subject: the literature of medicine; usually, however, it means the body of artistic writings of a country or period that are characterized by beauty of expression and form and by universality of intellectual and emotional appeal: English literature of the 16th century. Belles-lettres is a more specific term for writings of a light, elegant, or excessively refined character: His talent is not for scholarship but for belles-lettres. Letters (rare today outside of certain fixed phrases) refers to literature as a domain of study or creation: a man of letters.

Other Word Forms

• preliterature noun

Etymology

Origin of literature

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English litterature, from Latin litterātūra “grammar;” literate, -ure

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.

Finding their conversations therapeutic—and perceiving a dearth of literature on mistakes—they have written “From Mistakes to Meaning.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Lectures on new ideas in science, literature, or religion were a popular form of entertainment in the nineteenth century.

From Literature

Having studied philosophy at Sogang University in Seoul, the soft-spoken filmmaker is also known as a great lover of literature, especially Emile Zola and Philip Roth.

From Barron's

His mother was an English major and he, too, went on to study English literature.

From Los Angeles Times

By taking on Brontë’s book, Fennell was doomed to stare down millions of overly pedantic literature sticklers, people who prefer their adaptations pure and untainted.

From Salon

Related Words

• article
• biography
• brochure
• composition
• drama
• essay
• history
• information
• leaflet
• lore
• novel
• pamphlet
• poetry
• prose
• research
• story

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.