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
Her late teenage years as a dancer, her industry beginnings, lessons in life, and more are detailed in the aforementioned literary work Who’s That Girl.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 19 Sep. 2024
Shōgun Based on the literary sensation that already became a TV event in 1980, this sprawling new adaptation of the Japanese feudal epic seems to be the one to beat at this season’s Emmys, with a whopping 25 nominations for the first season.
—Dan Heching, CNN, 13 Sep. 2024
Instruments such as piano and violin played a prominent role in her work, which also included literary texts and screenplays.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2024
Laura Ingalls Wilder, best known for her Little House on the Prairie series, embarked on her literary career at an age when most people are well into retirement.
—Committee Of 200, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for literary 
Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 19 Sep. 2024
Shōgun Based on the literary sensation that already became a TV event in 1980, this sprawling new adaptation of the Japanese feudal epic seems to be the one to beat at this season’s Emmys, with a whopping 25 nominations for the first season.
—Dan Heching, CNN, 13 Sep. 2024
Instruments such as piano and violin played a prominent role in her work, which also included literary texts and screenplays.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2024
Laura Ingalls Wilder, best known for her Little House on the Prairie series, embarked on her literary career at an age when most people are well into retirement.
—Committee Of 200, Forbes, 10 Sep. 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 2 Oct. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share