literary

1 of 2

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

literariness

2 of 2

noun

lit·​er·​ar·​i·​ness

-rin-

plural -es

: the quality or state of being literary

Synonyms of literary

Adjective

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

Examples of literary in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

Kawakami’s novel became an international literary sensation, reaching English-language readers and more than a dozen other markets worldwide. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026

James Patterson is a literary juggernaut who has written or cowritten more than 200 books; his latest, DELUSIONAL, comes out this month. — New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Rubiano, who will be the biennial’s curator of public programs and outreach, is the director of humanities and literary studies at Jorge Tadeo Lozano University. — News Desk, Artforum, 3 Aug. 2026

Since around 2020, the literary precinct of the social-media platform TikTok seems to have usurped older marketing and publicity strategies as a primary driver of sales. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1872, in the meaning defined above

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