belletrist

noun

variants also belle-lettrist
Definition of belletristnext
as in writer

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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
  1. writer
  2. litterateur
  3. wordsmith
  4. stylist
  5. pen
  6. biographer
  7. auteur
  8. penman
Noun
  • Adapted from the debut play of writer Ezra England, the series is being co-developed with Platform Presents, which also co-produced the original stage production.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Malone is a staff writer at the New Yorker covering media and politics.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of writer
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
Definition of litterateur
Noun
  • Kerri comes from an improv background but is also a technical wordsmith.
    — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026
  • But Fleming leaps past other wry wordsmiths with his constant, unrelenting effort to wring every last drop of laughter out of every single premise.
    — John Roy, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2026
Definition of wordsmith
Noun
  • The series stars Hunt as AJ, an investment banker from Boston, who moves to New York for a new job and begins living with her best friend, aspiring celebrity stylist Abby (played by Avantika).
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
  • As for critics, like Rachel Tashjian, and stylists, like Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, the call is coming from inside the house.
    — Vanity Fair, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of stylist
Noun
  • That’s when Stewart allegedly stabbed the driver with a pen multiple times, per the affidavit.
    — Saleen Martin, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Inside a hotel conference room downtown, rapper/vocalists Johnny and Taeyong and singers Jaehyun, Haechan and Yuta are dutifully seated at a table with iced coffees, pens and notepads.
    — Christine Terrisse, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of pen
Noun
  • By the end of his life, Irving had established himself as a respected biographer and a sometime international diplomat.
    — Eric Lach, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Though there have been tensions between Camilla and her stepson Harry over the years, royal biographer Tom Bower reported that the queen politely offered the Duke of Sussex a cup of tea.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of biographer
Noun
  • 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
  • Madonna was stopped dead in her tracks by the strapping 30-year-old auteur of the nouvelle vague gangster movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, an eye-popping directorial debut.
    — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 5 July 2026
Definition of auteur
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
Definition of penman

Browse Nearby Words

belles
belletrist
belletristic
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Cite this Entry

“Belletrist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belletrist. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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