bookish

adjective

book·​ish ˈbu̇-kish 

1

a

: of or relating to books

b

: fond of books and reading

2

a

: inclined to rely on book knowledge

b

of words : literary and formal as opposed to colloquial and informal

c

: given to literary or scholarly pursuits

also : affectedly learned

bookishly adverb

bookishness noun

Synonyms

• erudite
• learned
• literary

Examples of bookish in a Sentence

Their teacher was a bookish fellow.

“fealty” is a bookish synonym for “loyalty”

Recent Examples on the Web

The story is about a bookish Black girl, in love with English literature (and the emotionally indecipherable white professor teaching it) at a predominantly white university in 1949, losing her childhood illusions — and then, in a gothic twist, losing much more. —Scott Brown, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2022

Bryce Young is bookish, too. —Joseph Goodman | [e-mail], al, 9 Dec. 2022

Everything Everywhere All at Once is a supernova of emo cartoon invention that plays its comic-bookish multiversal premise for both delirious running gags and unabashedly gushy sentimentality. —A.a. Dowd, Chron, 4 Feb. 2023

An entire bar shut down, if momentarily, because of our bookish tread. —Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

bookish

adjective

book·​ish ˈbu̇k-ish 

1

: fond of reading

2

: tending to rely on knowledge from books rather than practical experience

3

: resembling the language of books : formal

bookishly adverb

bookishness noun