as in literary
suggestive of the vocabulary used in books
"fealty" is a bookish synonym for "loyalty"
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bookish
An entire bar shut down, if momentarily, because of our bookish tread.
—
Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2023
Sandwiched between two popes more skilled in reaching out to non-Catholics, Benedict was seen as a bookish purist.
—Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 31 Dec. 2022
Sandwiched between two popes more skilled in outreach to non-Catholics, Benedict was seen as a bookish purist.
—Chico Harlan, Stefano Pitrelli, Marisa Iati, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Dec. 2022
BookTok, the bookish corner of TikTok, invites book lovers to showcase their literary passions.
—Chelsea G. Summers, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for bookish
Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2023
Sandwiched between two popes more skilled in reaching out to non-Catholics, Benedict was seen as a bookish purist.
—Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 31 Dec. 2022
Sandwiched between two popes more skilled in outreach to non-Catholics, Benedict was seen as a bookish purist.
—Chico Harlan, Stefano Pitrelli, Marisa Iati, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Dec. 2022
BookTok, the bookish corner of TikTok, invites book lovers to showcase their literary passions.
—Chelsea G. Summers, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for bookish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bookish
literary
Adjective
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Pocket did more than this and leaned into longform journalism and literary writing.—
Kevin Purdy,
ArsTechnica,
22 May 2025
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Such lithe literary conceits turn to heavier twists in Kei Ishikawa‘s ambitious but ungainly adaptation, which mostly follows the letter of Ishiguro’s work, but misses its haunting, haunted spirit.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bookish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bookish. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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