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
Book to Screen Surge While the route from book to screen is a well-trodden one, in recent years, the demand for literary IP has reached a fever pitch.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 24 Oct. 2024
Indiana wrote novels, essays, and magazine columns, often bridging the gap between literary writing and criticism in the process.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 24 Oct. 2024
Like many of its literary inspirations, Night Springs suffers from prioritizing style over substance.
—G Kirilloff, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
But the award placed the book at the center of a fierce debate about literary translations.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for literary 
John Hopewell, Variety, 24 Oct. 2024
Indiana wrote novels, essays, and magazine columns, often bridging the gap between literary writing and criticism in the process.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 24 Oct. 2024
Like many of its literary inspirations, Night Springs suffers from prioritizing style over substance.
—G Kirilloff, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
But the award placed the book at the center of a fierce debate about literary translations.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for literary
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'literary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near literary
Cite this Entry
“Literary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literary. Accessed 5 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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