1
a
: of or relating to books
b
: fond of books and reading
2
a
: inclined to rely on book knowledge
b
of words
: literary and formal as opposed to colloquial and informal
c
: given to literary or scholarly pursuits
also
: affectedly learned
bookishly
adverb
bookishness
noun
Examples of bookish in a Sentence
Their teacher was a bookish fellow.
“fealty” is a bookish synonym for “loyalty”
Recent Examples on the Web
The story is about a bookish Black girl, in love with English literature (and the emotionally indecipherable white professor teaching it) at a predominantly white university in 1949, losing her childhood illusions — and then, in a gothic twist, losing much more.
—
Scott Brown, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2022
Bryce Young is bookish, too.
—Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 9 Dec. 2022
Everything Everywhere All at Once is a supernova of emo cartoon invention that plays its comic-bookish multiversal premise for both delirious running gags and unabashedly gushy sentimentality.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 4 Feb. 2023
An entire bar shut down, if momentarily, because of our bookish tread.
—Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2023
Sandwiched between two popes more skilled in reaching out to non-Catholics, Benedict was seen as a bookish purist.
—Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 31 Dec. 2022
Sandwiched between two popes more skilled in outreach to non-Catholics, Benedict was seen as a bookish purist.
—Chico Harlan, Stefano Pitrelli, Marisa Iati, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Dec. 2022
BookTok, the bookish corner of TikTok, invites book lovers to showcase their literary passions.
—Chelsea G. Summers, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2022
Ending a friendship is inconceivable to this lad, who is desperate to show his love for Farrell’s bookish sister (Kerry Condon).
—Matthew Jacobs, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2022
Scott Brown, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2022
Bryce Young is bookish, too.
—Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 9 Dec. 2022
Everything Everywhere All at Once is a supernova of emo cartoon invention that plays its comic-bookish multiversal premise for both delirious running gags and unabashedly gushy sentimentality.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 4 Feb. 2023
An entire bar shut down, if momentarily, because of our bookish tread.
—Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2023
Sandwiched between two popes more skilled in reaching out to non-Catholics, Benedict was seen as a bookish purist.
—Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 31 Dec. 2022
Sandwiched between two popes more skilled in outreach to non-Catholics, Benedict was seen as a bookish purist.
—Chico Harlan, Stefano Pitrelli, Marisa Iati, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Dec. 2022
BookTok, the bookish corner of TikTok, invites book lovers to showcase their literary passions.
—Chelsea G. Summers, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2022
Ending a friendship is inconceivable to this lad, who is desperate to show his love for Farrell’s bookish sister (Kerry Condon).
—Matthew Jacobs, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bookish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bookish
Cite this Entry
“Bookish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bookish. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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