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
Arranging her songs for orchestras, programming cutting edge beats, and writing lyrics with wit, emotion, and historical and literary inspirations, Björk is an art pop icon and one of the world’s most original living songwriters.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 22 Jan. 2025
After checking Notre-Dame off your list, cross the Seine and peruse the titles on the leaning antique bookshelves of English bookstore Shakespeare and Company, which was once the meeting ground for the expat literary set in Paris.
—Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2025
But now, publishers, literary magazines and bookstores in Africa have created their own robust literary world.
—German Lopez, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Set in 1830, Miss Austen takes a literary mystery — Cassandra Austen (Hawes) notoriously burning her famous sister Jane’s letters — and reimagines it as a heart-breaking story of sisterly love.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for literary 
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Al Shipley, SPIN, 22 Jan. 2025
After checking Notre-Dame off your list, cross the Seine and peruse the titles on the leaning antique bookshelves of English bookstore Shakespeare and Company, which was once the meeting ground for the expat literary set in Paris.
—Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2025
But now, publishers, literary magazines and bookstores in Africa have created their own robust literary world.
—German Lopez, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Set in 1830, Miss Austen takes a literary mystery — Cassandra Austen (Hawes) notoriously burning her famous sister Jane’s letters — and reimagines it as a heart-breaking story of sisterly love.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 21 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 26 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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