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
  • Taylor Swift will be adding another trophy to her shelf, as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that the superstar will be inducted into the hall this fall, becoming, at 36, the youngest writer ever to receive the honor.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026
  • It’s been my privilege to learn, from scholars and thinkers and writers far more deeply rooted than myself in the American west, about its realities and relentless contradictions.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 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
  • No stylist can magically make more of your own hair appear, but the right cut can create the illusion of fuller, denser strands.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Her stylist, Erin Walsh, revealed on her Instagram story that Hathaway's look -- a celestial-blue top with vivid crimson silk -- was custom Atelier Prabal Gurung.
    — Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of stylist
Noun
  • The state is no longer collecting sales tax on nonelectronic school supplies, which includes a long list of items like paper, notebooks, binder, pens, pencils and markers, rules and protractors, glue, highlighters, index cards and scissors.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Many rescues have been found to be abusive and worse than a kill pen.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of pen
Noun
  • Jack Hirsch, biographer of Anthony’s husband, Olympic and pro boxing champ Michael Spinks, confirmed the news to Anthony’s longtime publication New York Amsterdam News.
    — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Anthony’s death was confirmed to Variety by Jack Hirsch, the biographer of Anthony’s husband, Michael Spinks.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 7 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 16 Aug. 2026.

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