LITERARY Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

literary

adjective

ˈli-tə-ˌrer-ē

Definition of literary

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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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 Atlanta author Lydia Mathis’ literary debut features candid, revealing short stories. — Suzanne Van Atten, AJC.com, 20 Sep. 2026 The story won a Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation Award, which honors literary achievement by Black writers. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026 How would this prodigious author of eighteen other novels—among them the most adventuresome in the Latin American literary canon—conclude his career? — Ariel Dorfman, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026 For readers who are familiar with the literary curse of Plaschke in his column over the years, this prediction is not that. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for literary

Recent Examples of Synonyms for literary

Adjective

The play becomes an intellectual exercise — often a technically compelling one, and one that thankfully observes the comedy of Chekhov’s struggling souls as much as their tragedy.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
The political climate that culminated in the 1940 Constitution was embraced by much of Cuba’s artistic and intellectual community as part of a broader quest for democracy and modernization.

— Dennys Matos, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of intellectual

Adjective

The program aimed to help in the academic, professional and personal development of Black and brown women, until it was eliminated in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion cuts two years ago.

— Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Georgia Tech in 2001 broke ground on an ambitious — and unproven — plan to to transform eight blocks of derelict lots in Midtown into an academic and corporate hub.

— Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of academic

Adjective

But that was long enough for Anthony Hopkins to nab a Best Actor Oscar for his chillingly erudite cannibal in 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs.

— Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026
Like Dante, Nick Tosches was an undaunted character whose tongue-twisting prose was an iconoclastic mash-up of realism and intricate, erudite lyricism.

— A.D. Amorosi, SPIN, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of erudite

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literalness

literary

literate

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“Literary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literary. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of literary

adjective

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