literary
adjective
lit·er·ary
ˈli-tə-ˌrer-ē 
1
a
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of humane learning or literature
a literary education
a literary institution
b
: bookish sense 2
an essay written in a very literary style
c
: of or relating to books
a literary agent
a literary manuscript
2
a
: well-read
he is literary, given to quoting to himself rather long stretches of remembered lines—
F. J. Hoffman
F. J. Hoffman
b
: of or relating to authors or scholars or to their professions
her literary biographies
Examples of literary in a Sentence
Do his books have any literary merit?
Mystery fiction is only one of many literary forms.
an essay written in a very literary style
The author uses many literary devices in his work.
He entered the literary world right out of college.
She hired a literary agent.
Recent Examples on the Web
Like a literary assassin. Scribner, to my surprise, was into the idea of a blurb from Eve.
—Lili Anolik, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
The Magic Mountain is an odyssey confined to one place, a novel of ideas like no other, and a masterpiece of literary modernism.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
Authors of Latino heritage are increasingly carving a space in fantasy literary realms.
—Marina E. Franco (noticias Telemundo For Axios), Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
For the Grimms, what mattered was to be authentic, not appropriate, and fairy tales, across many literary traditions, weren’t always intended for children.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for literary 
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Lili Anolik, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
The Magic Mountain is an odyssey confined to one place, a novel of ideas like no other, and a masterpiece of literary modernism.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
Authors of Latino heritage are increasingly carving a space in fantasy literary realms.
—Marina E. Franco (noticias Telemundo For Axios), Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
For the Grimms, what mattered was to be authentic, not appropriate, and fairy tales, across many literary traditions, weren’t always intended for children.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for literary
Dictionary Entries Near literary
Cite this Entry
“Literary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literary. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
literary
adjective
lit·er·ary
ˈlit-ə-ˌrer-ē
1
a
: of or relating to literature
b
2
: of or relating to writers or writing as a profession
literarily
adverb
ˌlit-ə-ˈrer-ə-lē
literariness
noun
ˈlit-ə-ˌrer-ē-nəs
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