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
What exactly makes literary tourism so irresistible?
—
Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Some would say that the teenager with the high score probably benefited from an advantageous environment, parents who could afford books and who read to her as a young child, instilling a lifelong passion for all things literary.
—Dalton Conley, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
This makes defining intelligence in terms of linguistic ability (the Turing test) or literary/narrative ability (the Lovelace 2.0 test) transparently inadequate and incomplete.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
In 1960, Edna O’Brien, a young Irish woman, made a sensational literary debut with The Country Girls, sparking controversy in Ireland, where her books were banned and burned.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literary
Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Some would say that the teenager with the high score probably benefited from an advantageous environment, parents who could afford books and who read to her as a young child, instilling a lifelong passion for all things literary.
—Dalton Conley, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
This makes defining intelligence in terms of linguistic ability (the Turing test) or literary/narrative ability (the Lovelace 2.0 test) transparently inadequate and incomplete.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
In 1960, Edna O’Brien, a young Irish woman, made a sensational literary debut with The Country Girls, sparking controversy in Ireland, where her books were banned and burned.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for literary
Adjective
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Scientists have long theorized that dogs possess an innate connection to humans that they are born with and predates any training or learned behaviors.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
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The scientists believe both these factors hint that this form of conflict resolution is a learned one, which is then adopted by younger apes.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Nurturing Intellectual Curiosity Selective colleges consistently seek students who demonstrate intellectual vitality—a genuine enthusiasm for learning that extends beyond grade-seeking behavior.—
Dr. Aviva Legatt,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
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Dugin rails against the European Enlightenment, the intellectual root of modern rationalism and liberalism, and defines himself in the lineage of Counter-Enlightenment thinkers, such as Friedrich Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Myth of Looking Outward A fourth pervasive myth is the belief that the best innovation comes from looking outward: at competitors, industry trends, or academic theories.—
Mark Nevins,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
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There was a risk that such a single-minded pursuit of so difficult a problem could hurt her academic career, but Späth dedicated all her time to it anyway.—
Leila Sloman,
WIRED,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Bryce Young is bookish, too.—
Joseph Goodman | jgoodman@al.com,
al,
9 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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Listen to this article An Aurora seventh grader achieved a scholastic twofer last week, winning Denver’s regional science fair and the Colorado state spelling bee in a six-day span.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
The Denver Post,
13 Mar. 2025
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Sanders won the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which is given to the nation’s top quarterback who best exemplifies character, scholastic and athletic achievement.—
Ryan Canfield,
Fox News,
19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The Gospel authors, far from being community leaders preserving oral sayings for largely illiterate followers, were highly literate members of a small, erudite upper crust, distant in experience, attitude, and geography from any Galilean peasant preachers.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
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His is a sort of erudite buffoonery that consistently tap-dances between clever, self-aware, and patently stupid.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Literary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/literary. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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