as in intelligentsia
intellectuals considered as a social class
Boston's 19th-century literati often referred to their city as "the Athens of America"
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Recent Examples of literati
More than anything, what made it a Palladino night were the guests, an idiosyncratic mix only this couple could conjure: part Hollywood, part literati; part uptown, part downtown; old guard as well as new.
—
Jeanne Malle, Air Mail, 7 June 2025
The depictions of the New York literati scene, with its backbiting and wary camaraderie, are effective but all too brief.
—Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Apr. 2025
From our review: At first the screen adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s exquisite novel of the same name, a quiet miracle woven of wry glances at New York literati and a piercing ache, feels too smooth, too glossy.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
These things have set up a direct line to a specific kind of metropolitan, cool girl literati.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 14 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for literati
Jeanne Malle, Air Mail, 7 June 2025
The depictions of the New York literati scene, with its backbiting and wary camaraderie, are effective but all too brief.
—Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Apr. 2025
From our review: At first the screen adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s exquisite novel of the same name, a quiet miracle woven of wry glances at New York literati and a piercing ache, feels too smooth, too glossy.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
These things have set up a direct line to a specific kind of metropolitan, cool girl literati.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 14 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for literati
Cite this Entry
“Literati.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literati. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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