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
Like a literary assassin. Scribner, to my surprise, was into the idea of a blurb from Eve.
—Lili Anolik, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
The Magic Mountain is an odyssey confined to one place, a novel of ideas like no other, and a masterpiece of literary modernism.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
Authors of Latino heritage are increasingly carving a space in fantasy literary realms.
—Marina E. Franco (noticias Telemundo For Axios), Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
For the Grimms, what mattered was to be authentic, not appropriate, and fairy tales, across many literary traditions, weren’t always intended for children.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for literary 
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.
Lili Anolik, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
The Magic Mountain is an odyssey confined to one place, a novel of ideas like no other, and a masterpiece of literary modernism.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
Authors of Latino heritage are increasingly carving a space in fantasy literary realms.
—Marina E. Franco (noticias Telemundo For Axios), Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
For the Grimms, what mattered was to be authentic, not appropriate, and fairy tales, across many literary traditions, weren’t always intended for children.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
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 28 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share