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
His fellow citizens recall him as part of a wave of Latin American literary lions in the latter half of the 20th century.
—Howard Lafranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2025
Taking narratives to a whole new level, Split Fiction casts you and your significant other as Mio and Zoe, a pair of down-on-their-luck writers who become trapped in a combination of their stories (sci-fi meets fantasy) due to an accident at a groundbreaking literary tech firm.
—Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Join your book-loving friends and enjoy this special literary outing, which benefits your Rancho Santa Fe Library.
—Sarah Z. Sleeper, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2025
Last year, the De Los and Los Angeles en Español teams joined forces to program the first-ever Latinidad Stage at the L.A. Times Festival of Books: the largest literary event in the United States.
—Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for literary
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Howard Lafranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2025
Taking narratives to a whole new level, Split Fiction casts you and your significant other as Mio and Zoe, a pair of down-on-their-luck writers who become trapped in a combination of their stories (sci-fi meets fantasy) due to an accident at a groundbreaking literary tech firm.
—Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Join your book-loving friends and enjoy this special literary outing, which benefits your Rancho Santa Fe Library.
—Sarah Z. Sleeper, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2025
Last year, the De Los and Los Angeles en Español teams joined forces to program the first-ever Latinidad Stage at the L.A. Times Festival of Books: the largest literary event in the United States.
—Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 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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