literary

lit·er·ary

adj \ˈli-tə-ˌrer-ē\

Definition of LITERARY

1

a : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of humane learning or literature b : bookish 2 c : of or relating to books

2

a : well-read b : of or relating to authors or scholars or to their professions

— lit·er·ar·i·ly \ˌli-tə-ˈrer-ə-lē\ adverb

— lit·er·ar·i·ness \ˈli-tə-ˌrer-ē-nəs\ noun

Examples of LITERARY

1. Do his books have any literary merit?
2. Mystery fiction is only one of many literary forms.
3. an essay written in a very literary style
4. The author uses many literary devices in his work.
5. He entered the literary world right out of college.
6. She hired a literary agent.

First Known Use of LITERARY

1605

Related to LITERARY

Synonyms: erudite, learned, bookish

Antonyms: colloquial, nonliterary, unbookish

Related Words: academic (also academical), donnish, inkhorn, pedantic, scholastic; belletristic (also belle-lettristic); highbrow, highbrowed, intellectual; educated, schooled; elevated, eloquent, formal, high-flown, lofty, majestic, stately, towering; bombastic, declamatory, florid, flowery, grandiloquent, highfalutin (also hifalutin), pompous, stilted

Near Antonyms: chatty, conversational; familiar, informal; slangy; illiterate

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Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody