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
First established as a literary agency in 1896, Sayle Screen will continue to be run by Jane Villiers, Matthew Bates, and Kelly Knatchbull.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 3 June 2025
The couple lived in the hotel for years and hosted a long line of literary and artistic legends including Josephine Baker, Ernest Hemingway, Errol Flynn, Orson Wells, Salvador Dalí, and Miles Davis.
—Madeline Weinfield, Architectural Digest, 3 June 2025
What of Margaret Fuller’s remains—literary, political, spiritual?
—James Marcus, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
In his brilliant study The Dream of the Moving Statue (1992), Kenneth Gross observes that the Medusa story lurks behind all mythical and literary fantasies of sculpture come alive.
—Marina Isgro, Artforum, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for literary
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Jake Kanter, Deadline, 3 June 2025
The couple lived in the hotel for years and hosted a long line of literary and artistic legends including Josephine Baker, Ernest Hemingway, Errol Flynn, Orson Wells, Salvador Dalí, and Miles Davis.
—Madeline Weinfield, Architectural Digest, 3 June 2025
What of Margaret Fuller’s remains—literary, political, spiritual?
—James Marcus, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
In his brilliant study The Dream of the Moving Statue (1992), Kenneth Gross observes that the Medusa story lurks behind all mythical and literary fantasies of sculpture come alive.
—Marina Isgro, Artforum, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for literary
Cite this Entry
“Literary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literary. Accessed 6 Jun. 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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