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
Besides, learning literary discrimination requires exposure to a range of materials.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
These bloody political, erotic, and literary entanglements are the subject of my article for this week’s issue.
—Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2025
The literary genius from Jackson, Mississippi, detailed the dream in a 1941 letter to her agent, friend, and fellow gardener, Diarmuid Russell, which was collected in Julia Eichelberger’s Tell About Night Flowers: Eudora Welty’s Gardening Letters, 1940-1949.
—Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 9 Jan. 2025
Buchwald is looking to bolster its presence across unscripted content and literary representation with two hires in the agency’s Los Angeles office.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for literary 
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Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
These bloody political, erotic, and literary entanglements are the subject of my article for this week’s issue.
—Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2025
The literary genius from Jackson, Mississippi, detailed the dream in a 1941 letter to her agent, friend, and fellow gardener, Diarmuid Russell, which was collected in Julia Eichelberger’s Tell About Night Flowers: Eudora Welty’s Gardening Letters, 1940-1949.
—Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 9 Jan. 2025
Buchwald is looking to bolster its presence across unscripted content and literary representation with two hires in the agency’s Los Angeles office.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Jan. 2025
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 20 Jan. 2025.
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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