BELLETRIST Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

belletrist

noun

variants also belle-lettrist

Definition of belletrist

as in writer

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

nonauthor

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

The writers presented two other awards prior to Saturday’s game.

— Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
The difference is that Alex, the latest creation of actor and writer Sharon Horgan, is freshly 50 — decidedly not the age of your average rom-com lead.

— Alison Herman, Variety, 20 Sep. 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

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
Kerri comes from an improv background but is also a technical wordsmith.

— Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026

Definition of wordsmith

Noun

As part of the launch, Starmoire appointed television personality and stylist Stacy London as chief style strategist and investor.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
The singer’s longtime personal stylist, Joseph Cassell Falconer, styled the vintage graphic tee — reportedly from Kansas City’s Westside Storey — as a mini dress.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of stylist

Noun

The lavish collection includes a foreword by royal journalist and biographer Tina Brown, who spent one-on-one time with the late princess during a lunch at the Four Seasons in New York just weeks before her death.

— Sophie Dunne, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
The film draws on previously unheard recorded conversations between Pratt and his biographer, Dominique Petitfaux, whose book of interviews with the artist supplies the film’s title.

— JD Linville, Variety, 9 Sep. 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

Browse Nearby Words

belles

belletrist

belletristic

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Belletrist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belletrist. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of belletrist

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

nemesis

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes