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
This is challenging, in part because loneliness is such a familiar theme in the 21st-century Indian American novel (blame Jhumpa Lahiri and her literary inheritors).
—
Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
Fall 2025 promises new titles from literary giants like Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan and Lily King and celebrity memoirs from Michael J. Fox, Lionel Richie and Sir Anthony Hopkins.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Although Harold is not literary fiction’s first obsessive ruminator, what makes Muscle Man feel so plugged into the moment is how common the predicament feels.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Curtis Brown Heritage, which launched in 2016 with the objective of managing some of the most beloved literary estates in the world, already reps Douglas Adams, A.A. Milne and Barbara Taylor Bradford’s estates.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literary
Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
Fall 2025 promises new titles from literary giants like Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan and Lily King and celebrity memoirs from Michael J. Fox, Lionel Richie and Sir Anthony Hopkins.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Although Harold is not literary fiction’s first obsessive ruminator, what makes Muscle Man feel so plugged into the moment is how common the predicament feels.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Curtis Brown Heritage, which launched in 2016 with the objective of managing some of the most beloved literary estates in the world, already reps Douglas Adams, A.A. Milne and Barbara Taylor Bradford’s estates.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
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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As the more intellectual and empathetic Vladimir, Winter achingly conveys his hopeful optimism and crippling realization that Godot, in fact, may never arrive.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 Sep. 2025
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Rooted in the land-grant tradition, the UA System expands access to academic, practical, and professional opportunities, fosters intellectual growth and student success, promotes discovery and public service, and strengthens Arkansas's economy, health, and culture.—
Ryan Anderson,
Arkansas Online,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The primary role of liaisons is to remove any barriers for students that would prevent them from accessing their education, said Valerie Gyroy, the academic advisor for families with housing insecurity with the Chandler Unified School District.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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Rooted in the land-grant tradition, the UA System expands access to academic, practical, and professional opportunities, fosters intellectual growth and student success, promotes discovery and public service, and strengthens Arkansas's economy, health, and culture.—
Ryan Anderson,
Arkansas Online,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And yet Klein, in his distinctly bookish and measured approach, sometimes recalls an Obamian voice, if the former President had been a journalist with a beard, tattoos, and a predilection for Burning Man.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
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Jimbōchō is home to some 130 vintage book stores — Time Out highlights Isseido Booksellers and Kitazawa Bookstore as great starting points for a day of bookish exploring — as well as its coffee-shop culture and delicious curry houses.—
Francesca Street,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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For true scholastic style, pair it with penny loafers or Mary Janes.—
Francesca Krempa,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Sep. 2025
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His family wasn’t shy about shouting out his scholastic achievements on social media.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Schattenfroh is extremely long and prodigiously learned, with scenes—and even sentences—that veer from one century to another, and with a taste for literary and art historical in-jokes that might try the patience of even the most erudite reader.—
Book Marks
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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Marty is an erudite man of letters who has long wanted to meet one of his favorite writers.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Literary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literary. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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