as in literary
suggestive of the vocabulary used in books
"fealty" is a bookish synonym for "loyalty"
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Recent Examples of bookish
Discovering nonfiction that reads like a story but keeps the scholarship front and center is the great white whale hunt for bookish adventurers.
—
Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2025
Looking for a bookish gift for the readers in your life?
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
For bookish nerds, this game was like catnip.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Nov. 2025
Jennifer’s Body follows two polar opposite best friends, the outgoing Jennifer and bookish Needy (Amanda Seyfried), whose friendship takes a turn when the former embarks on a murderous rampage of her male classmates.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bookish
Brianne Kane, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2025
Looking for a bookish gift for the readers in your life?
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
For bookish nerds, this game was like catnip.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Nov. 2025
Jennifer’s Body follows two polar opposite best friends, the outgoing Jennifer and bookish Needy (Amanda Seyfried), whose friendship takes a turn when the former embarks on a murderous rampage of her male classmates.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bookish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bookish
literary
Adjective
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In fact, director William Wyler’s 1939 Hollywood adaptation — with its ostentatious outfits and romantic focus — feels like a better companion piece than the original literary source material.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
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The other literary work Gaumont is bringing to screen is ‘The Wandering Harlot’.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bookish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bookish. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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