belletrist

variants also belle-lettrist
Definition of belletristnext

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of belletrist The philologists, unlike the belletrists, were methodical and systematic, and given to expounding those methods and systems in lengthy treatises. — Evan Kindley, The New York Review of Books, 16 Feb. 2023 Harrison is almost the textbook example of a belletrist—someone who writes essays more for their aesthetic effect than anything else. — Bill Heavey, WSJ, 16 Sep. 2022 Locke the glossy belletrist gave way to Locke the fellow-traveller, Locke the savvy champion of proletarian realism. — Tobi Haslett, The New Yorker, 11 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belletrist
Noun
  • Track Pants Want to get in on the cool-girl pants trend backed by PEOPLE writers and A-listers like Jennifer Lawrence?
    — Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2026
  • George Diaz is a former writer and columnist with the Sentinel.
    — George Diaz, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Clearly, by now — that is, 1835 — science had done enough to prove itself in the eyes of the litterateurs.
    — Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The book was first published anonymously, and its authorship is consequently uncertain, though usually attributed to a minor poet and litterateur named Wu Cheng’en.
    — Washington Post, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2021
Noun
  • Aaron Lee Tasjan, a close friend of Snider’s, will lead a tribute to the witty wordsmith that will also include John Craigie, Elizabeth Cook, Chuck Prophet, Steve Poltz and other guests.
    — Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Politically savvy, wickedly and playfully witty, and in close touch with humanity’s many facets, Roger Simon was among the most admired newspaper columnists of his generation at a time when that world was rich in that species of wordsmiths.
    — Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • With help from stylist Law Roach, Zendaya wore the same butter-yellow, brown and white Lanvin string bikini top and matching low-rise, wide-leg pants Berry wore to the film’s New York premiere.
    — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Tracee Ellis Ross just proved that celebrities don’t need stylists to slay a red carpet.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The gerrymandered legislative districts will no doubt help Republicans keep their supermajority, but there is much good Jolly can bring — if nothing more than his veto pen.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • These include tons of fun stationery items like cards, journals, pens and other paper goods.
    — Josephine Murphy, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • According to Capra biographer Sam Wasson, the 83-year-old director made the trip from Southern California and sent along his own print to screen.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • All this challenges a biographer who would plumb Casey’s decades as chief executive.
    — Marc Levinson, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • In recent years, Fielder has sealed his reputation as a trickster-auteur with Showtime’s The Curse and HBO’s The Rehearsal.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
  • No franchise on this list is more indebted to a single auteur (Wes Craven) and a single actor (Robert Englund), who turned the saga of Freddy Krueger into something uniquely horrifying.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Its design by Leonardo Fioravanti, the prolific penman who created, among other Ferrari masterpieces, the Dino and 308 GTB, was an instant hit.
    — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Belletrist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belletrist. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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