Definition of epistolary
1 : of, relating to, or suitable to a letter
2 : contained in or carried on by letters an endless sequence of … epistolary love affairs — The Times Literary Supplement (London)
3 : written in the form of a series of letters an epistolary novel
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Recent Examples of epistolary from the Web
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Dear Master Dorothy Bryant’s epistolary drama about 19th century French novelists George Sand and Gustave Flaubert.
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While Kraus’s book, which is composed of Chris’s letters to Dick and therefore takes on a more epistolary tone, the show adopts a more straightforward plot trajectory that deftly balances humor with a discomforting humanity.
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Send out the ravens: Epistolary artillery is deployed in An American on the Western Front (History Press), edited by Patrick Gregory and Elizabeth Nurser.
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Send out the ravens: Epistolary artillery is deployed in An American on the Western Front (History Press), edited by Patrick Gregory and Elizabeth Nurser.
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Sometime in the 1790s, Jane Austen wrote a wickedly funny epistolary novella about a widow named Lady Susan, whose beauty and charm are matched only by her cunning ability to manipulate the doting men around her.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epistolary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Epistolary was formed from the noun epistle, which refers to a composition written in the form of a letter to a particular person or group. In its original sense, epistle refers to one of the 21 letters (such as those from the apostle Paul) found in the New Testament. Dating from the 13th century, epistle came to English via Anglo-French and Latin from the Greek noun epistolē, meaning "message" or "letter." Epistolē, in turn, came from the verb epistellein, meaning "to send" to or "to send from." Epistolary appeared in English four centuries after epistle and can be used to describe something related to or contained in a letter (as in "epistolary greetings") or composed of letters (as in "an epistolary novel").
First Known Use of epistolary
circa 1656
epistolary
Definition of epistolary
epistolaries
: a lectionary containing a body of liturgical epistles
First Known Use of epistolary
circa 1900
Other Christian Religious Terms
EPISTOLARY Defined for English Language Learners
epistolary
playDefinition of epistolary for English Language Learners
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: of or relating to a letter : suitable to a letter
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: written in the form of a series of letters
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