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
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Recent Examples of literary
His next project delves into the thoughts of literary and political original James Baldwin.
—
Austin American Statesman, 12 Jan. 2026
Welcome to Lit Trivia, the Book Review’s regular quiz about books, authors and literary culture.
—New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Since the literary adaptation won the TIFF People’s Choice Award in September, its buzz had gotten awfully quiet.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Utterly Shameless sets out to give White his long-overdue flowers, positioning him alongside other contemporary literary greats.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for literary
Austin American Statesman, 12 Jan. 2026
Welcome to Lit Trivia, the Book Review’s regular quiz about books, authors and literary culture.
—New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Since the literary adaptation won the TIFF People’s Choice Award in September, its buzz had gotten awfully quiet.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Utterly Shameless sets out to give White his long-overdue flowers, positioning him alongside other contemporary literary greats.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 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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Since taking the post, Inboden has criticized universities as straying from their mission, saying universities must restore intellectual diversity and their civic responsibilities.—
Austin American Statesman,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Jan. 2026
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Since 1989, Country Montessori School has been helping children develop their intellectual, physical, social, and emotional potential to the fullest.—
Jose Bolanos,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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While Block is in the fourth grade, after his family moves from Indiana to Texas, his mother withdraws him from school, convinced that a traditional academic environment will stifle his budding writerly gifts.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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With the funds, the university will build new student housing, a new student union, research labs, academic centers and a new arena.—
Austin American Statesman,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Pat Woodell was the original actress to portray Bobbie Jo Bradley during the first two seasons of Petticoat Junction, giving the character a thoughtful, bookish personality.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
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Anyone who was a bookish child could probably tell a similar story to mine.—
Adam Kirsch,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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
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But the behavior that needs correcting in this era of billion-dollar-a-year TV contracts and other accelerant revenues is that of shopaholic college administrators, whose expenditures have become so untethered from any scholastic purpose.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
20 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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To start with the movie’s strongest asset, Fiennes is magnificent — sinewy and feral in appearance but erudite in manner, his isolation and years of living rough having done little to curb the magniloquence of a posh education.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
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Because even his emails are literary, this one was erudite and friendly.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Literary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literary. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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