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
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 | [email protected], 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
See all Example Sentences for bookish 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Scott Brown, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2022
Bryce Young is bookish, too.
—Joseph Goodman | [email protected], 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
See all Example Sentences for bookish
Dictionary Entries Near bookish
Cite this Entry
“Bookish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bookish. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share