unliterary

adjective

ˌən-ˈli-tə-ˌrer-ē How to pronounce unliterary (audio)
Definition of unliterarynext
as in colloquial
used in or suitable for speech and not formal writing poems written in a natural, unliterary voice

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 unliterary The bond between Alice and the spiky, decidedly unliterary Felix might flummox. — New York Times, 1 Sep. 2021 Both were born as writers in public libraries—hyper-bright American Jewish urban boys from unliterary backgrounds, encountering the classics on their own, without too much pre-sorting, responding with delight, imitation, amusement, and familiarity. — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unliterary
  1. colloquial
  2. vernacular
  3. nonliterary
Adjective
  • That’s the colloquial name for the Salkin House, an 1,100-square-foot dwelling perched on a hillside lot, built for violist Jules Salkin in 1948 by John Lautner, the famed midcentury modern architect.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The theme uses a colloquial phrase almost like a mathematical function.
    — Sam Corbin, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of colloquial
Adjective
  • For me, a poster, in a Native context, is something that communicates a message through typography, visual language or vernacular language, and is intended to be publicly shown or expressed.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • On the one hand, there’s a fascination with collective joy and the forms of vernacular invention that aspire to it; on the other, there’s an underlying melancholy that points to the inevitability of isolation, an epistemology of loneliness.
    — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of vernacular
Adjective
  • Most of the people on this list worked nonliterary jobs before becoming a successful writer.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026
Definition of nonliterary

Browse Nearby Words

unlit
unliterary
unlivable
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Cite this Entry

“Unliterary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unliterary. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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