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
Synonyms of literary
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
His first collection, Death of a Naturalist, was published by Faber and Faber in 1966 and was followed by eleven other volumes of poetry, as well as collections of literary criticism, anthologies, translations, and verse plays.
—Nick Laird, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
What’s the connection between this lifelong literary memory project and Proust’s, whom Kerouac refers to often in his early writing?
—Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
The option marks the latest addition to Phiphen’s growing slate of literary adaptations and original projects across film and television.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
None of the scrolls discovered inside other mummies at the site, however, contained any references to the Iliad, which would have already been considered a literary classic at that time.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for literary
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Nick Laird, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
What’s the connection between this lifelong literary memory project and Proust’s, whom Kerouac refers to often in his early writing?
—Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
The option marks the latest addition to Phiphen’s growing slate of literary adaptations and original projects across film and television.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
None of the scrolls discovered inside other mummies at the site, however, contained any references to the Iliad, which would have already been considered a literary classic at that time.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2026
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 Apr. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
