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
F. J. Hoffman
b
: of or relating to authors or scholars or to their professions
her literary biographies
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
Pocket did more than this and leaned into longform journalism and literary writing.
—Kevin Purdy, ArsTechnica, 22 May 2025
Such lithe literary conceits turn to heavier twists in Kei Ishikawa‘s ambitious but ungainly adaptation, which mostly follows the letter of Ishiguro’s work, but misses its haunting, haunted spirit.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 May 2025
The company’s literary department has added the likes of Martin To, Martin Spencer, Andy Patman, Margaret Mendelson and Ian Greenstein over the last 12 months.
—Peter White, Deadline, 21 May 2025
In any case, Agathe’s victory here is finally more than literary.
—Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for literary
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Kevin Purdy, ArsTechnica, 22 May 2025
Such lithe literary conceits turn to heavier twists in Kei Ishikawa‘s ambitious but ungainly adaptation, which mostly follows the letter of Ishiguro’s work, but misses its haunting, haunted spirit.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 May 2025
The company’s literary department has added the likes of Martin To, Martin Spencer, Andy Patman, Margaret Mendelson and Ian Greenstein over the last 12 months.
—Peter White, Deadline, 21 May 2025
In any case, Agathe’s victory here is finally more than literary.
—Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for literary
Cite this Entry
“Literary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literary. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
literary
adjective
lit·er·ary
ˈlit-ə-ˌrer-ē
1
a
: of or relating to literature
b
2
: of or relating to writers or writing as a profession
literarily
adverb
ˌlit-ə-ˈrer-ə-lē
literariness
noun
ˈlit-ə-ˌrer-ē-nəs
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