literary

adjective

lit·​er·​ary ˈli-tə-ˌrer-ē 

1

a

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of humane learning or literature

a literary education

a literary institution

b

: bookish sense 2

an essay written in a very literary style

c

: of or relating to books

a literary agent

a literary manuscript

2

a

: well-read

… he is literary, given to quoting to himself rather long stretches of remembered lines …

—F. J. Hoffman

b

: of or relating to authors or scholars or to their professions

her literary biographies

literarily

ˌli-tə-ˈrer-ə-lē 

adverb

literariness

ˈli-tə-ˌrer-ē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of literary

• learned
• intellectual
• academic
• bookish
• scholastic
• erudite

Examples of literary in a Sentence

Do his books have any literary merit?

Mystery fiction is only one of many literary forms.

an essay written in a very literary style

The author uses many literary devices in his work.

He entered the literary world right out of college.

She hired a literary agent.

Recent Examples on the Web

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 13 indie bookstores across the city and beyond are joining forces for an inaugural celebration of local literary culture. — Julius Miller, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026

In much of literary fiction, characters and settings are developed slowly, through the gradual accrual of discrete moments that rarely stray from the mundane and the reasonable. — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Prominent crime writers of the 1970s, Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines, continued this exploration, as did writers of literary fiction like Toni Morrison, Gayl Jones, and Toni Cade Bambara. — Niela Orr, Vulture, 20 July 2026

In this sense, every literary biography is also a group portrait. — Literary Hub, 20 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing literary

• anti-literary
• literary agent
• literary executor
• pre-literary

Rhymes for literary

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• apiary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• bacillary
• beriberi
• bestiary
• breviary
• budgetary

Kids Definition

literary

adjective

lit·​er·​ary ˈlit-ə-ˌrer-ē 

1

a

: of or relating to literature

b

: bookish sense 2

2

: of or relating to writers or writing as a profession

literarily

ˌlit-ə-ˈrer-ə-lē

adverb

literariness

ˈlit-ə-ˌrer-ē-nəs

noun