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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 literary
Her debut book The Inheritors, about South Africa, won the 2023 PEN/America John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction and was a 2024 finalist for South Africa's top literary prize, the Sunday Times Award.
—
Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Across the street is Circus of Books, which has some unique gadgets and interesting literary selections.
—Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
My autumn trip to New Orleans, however, topped all of my literary travel experiences, thanks to Frances Parkinson Keyes’ Dinner at Antoine’s, a 1948 mystery novel partially set inside the city's landmark French-Creole restaurant.
—Madeline Bilis, Travel + Leisure, 25 Jan. 2026
Its first secular use, as a term for major literary texts, dates to the eighteenth century, and that sense became gradually more pervasive as authority was divorced from scripture.
—Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for literary
Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Across the street is Circus of Books, which has some unique gadgets and interesting literary selections.
—Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
My autumn trip to New Orleans, however, topped all of my literary travel experiences, thanks to Frances Parkinson Keyes’ Dinner at Antoine’s, a 1948 mystery novel partially set inside the city's landmark French-Creole restaurant.
—Madeline Bilis, Travel + Leisure, 25 Jan. 2026
Its first secular use, as a term for major literary texts, dates to the eighteenth century, and that sense became gradually more pervasive as authority was divorced from scripture.
—Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for literary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literary
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
Tangible cultural heritage consists of physical elements, like monuments, artifacts, and historic sites, while intangible cultural heritage consists of intellectual elements, like customs, traditions, and languages.—
Kristin Houser,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
-
In each place, searching for traces of Katharine Blodgett’s intellectual and personal footprint.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
When boys are asked to show up consistently for real people, academic readiness and emotional readiness develop side by side.—
Dr. Liz Doe Stone,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Meyer studied international relations with a minor in history, and she was named to the PAC-12’s academic honor roll twice.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Daeron Targaryen Daeron Targaryen, otherwise known as Daeron the Drunkard, is a bookish and melancholy Targaryen prince known for his prophetic dreams.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
-
There’s no shortage of young women making confessional, wry pop music these days, but Hobert has carved out her own lane with a bookish persona and shrewdly specific lyrics bound in tidy and broadly appealing pop songs.—
Carrie Battan,
Vulture,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
At the heart of this debate seems to be both a misunderstanding of the point of scholastic sports and a view, at least by some, that trans girls have an unfair physical advantage.—
Peter Jensen,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Jan. 2026
-
In a white paper released in October, the committee recommends moving the men’s game, and perhaps the women’s, from the current fall-only schedule to one that covers the entire scholastic year and culminates in an April playoff festival.—
Luke Cyphers,
Sportico.com,
12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
With Raffles, Wanders has created a property that oozes a quiet, cultured elegance that mirrors the city’s erudite aspirations.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Put on the costume, wear the expression, slip on the spectacles, and present yourself as erudite.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Literary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literary. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
