as in learned
suggestive of the vocabulary used in books
the novel's dialogue is a little too literary in flavor to be entirely convincing
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Recent Examples of literary
The project is the latest to showcase the literary bonafides of Newman, who is quietly establishing herself as a go-to for dramatic book adaptations.
—
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
The Thoreau who built literary castles in the air put the solid foundations of physical science beneath them.
—Robert M. Thorson, The Conversation, 8 May 2026
Oprah Winfrey’s latest book club pick is a new novel from a beloved literary voice.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 5 May 2026
Anthropic ended up paying a $1.5 billion settlement to authors in September 2025 to resolve a lawsuit brought by a group of literary plaintiffs.
—Chloe Veltman, NPR, 5 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for literary
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
The Thoreau who built literary castles in the air put the solid foundations of physical science beneath them.
—Robert M. Thorson, The Conversation, 8 May 2026
Oprah Winfrey’s latest book club pick is a new novel from a beloved literary voice.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 5 May 2026
Anthropic ended up paying a $1.5 billion settlement to authors in September 2025 to resolve a lawsuit brought by a group of literary plaintiffs.
—Chloe Veltman, NPR, 5 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for literary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literary
Adjective
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What made the incident even more striking was that most of Audubon Zoo’s sleepy lizards were bred in captivity, implying the reaction was an innate response instead of learned behavior.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
17 Sep. 2025
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This kind of trading is seen as a form of learned behavior, where dogs associate a specific action with a reward.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Uranus in Gemini wants people to think for themselves, question everything and evolve on an intellectual level.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Granted, the cast is skilled enough to work these intimate specifics into (and beneath) their conversations, but the details are often dropped into these empty spaces after long delays, a kind of Tetris storytelling that works far more as an intellectual exercise than an emotional one.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Task force member and history professor Bob Weinberg pushed back, saying reassessing historical figures is part of the academic process.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
12 May 2026
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And in March of this year, the White House revealed that the President’s Council on Science and Technology, long staffed with academic experts, is now led by tech industry figures such as Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Oracle’s Larry Ellison—just one academic is on the council.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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The team also captured the women’s scholastic championship.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
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When not identified early, this can potentially derail a student’s scholastic trajectory from the very first days of school.—
Sherri Helvie,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Soderbergh’s sly film asks what indeed constitutes great art and whether the answer lies in the eye of the beholder or in the erudite but not always reliable opinions from art criticism, art followers and the sometimes shallow artworld overall?—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
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The dazzlingly witty and erudite script, by Robert Kaplow, is nominated for Best Original Screenplay; Hawke, who is rightly nominated for Best Actor, delivers one of his richest and most surprising performances.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Literary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literary. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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