BOOKISH Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

bookish

adjective

ˈbu̇-kish

Definition of bookish next

as in literary

suggestive of the vocabulary used in books "fealty" is a bookish synonym for "loyalty"

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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 bookish The Summer Reading Adventure is just one bookish event happening this year. —

Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026 Their mother is obsessed with marrying all the girls off, but has seemingly decided that bookish, sensible Mary isn’t worth the energy. —

Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 May 2026 This peaceful hotel feels like a library—warm, bookish, and sanctuary-like—though most guests congregate in quiet nooks between the hibiscus flowers, grapefruit trees, and pines that predate the property. —

Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 May 2026 Lush, dark wood shelving and the rolling library ladder of every bookish person's dreams complete the fantasy. —

Nathanael Gassett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bookish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bookish

literary

Adjective

Maris Kreizman hosted the literary podcast, The Maris Review, for four years.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Mostly forgotten today is a literary subgenre that sprang up in the nineteenth century in order to give fictional shape to anxieties about the possibility of Britain’s invasion and defeat by its European neighbors.

— Ivan Kreilkamp, JSTOR Daily, 10 June 2026