literary [lit-uh-rer-ee] ExamplesWord Origin adjective
- pertaining to or of the nature of books and writings, especially those classed as literature: literary history.
- pertaining to authorship: literary style.
- versed in or acquainted with literature; well-read.
- engaged in or having the profession of literature or writing: a literary man.
- characterized by an excessive or affected display of learning; stilted; pedantic.
- preferring books to actual experience; bookish.
Origin of literary 1640–50; Latin līterārius, litterārius of reading and writing. See letter1, -ary Related formslit·er·ar·i·ly, adverblit·er·ar·i·ness, nounnon·lit·er·ar·i·ly, adverbnon·lit·er·ar·i·ly·ness, nounnon·lit·er·ar·i·ness, nounnon·lit·er·ar·y, adjectiveo·ver·lit·er·ar·i·ly, adverbo·ver·lit·er·ar·i·ness, nouno·ver·lit·er·ar·y, adjectivepre·lit·er·ar·y, adjectivepseu·do·lit·er·ar·y, adjectivequa·si-lit·er·ar·y, adjectiveun·lit·er·ar·y, adjectiveUsage note In this dictionary, the label Literary is assigned to an entry term or definition that is used rarely in contemporary speech or writing except to create a literary, poetic, or evocative effect. Examples from the Web for literarily Contemporary Examples of literarily
Like Nate, the novel is literarily self-conscious, but Nate often reads to show off.
How to Get Laid in Brooklyn a la Adelle Waldman’s Nifty Novel of Manners
Tom LeClair
July 25, 2014
Historical Examples of literarily
Our drama is literally and literarily a farce, and no drama that any one expects to live has been written for more than a century.
James J. Walsh
It must have become evident from this incomplete review that Iowa is literarily, to say the least, no longer inarticulate.
Various
British Dictionary definitions for literarily literary adjective
- of, relating to, concerned with, or characteristic of literature or scholarly writinga literary discussion; a literary style
- versed in or knowledgeable about literaturea literary man
- (of a word) formal; not colloquial
Derived Formsliterarily, adverbliterariness, nounWord Origin for literary C17: from Latin litterārius concerning reading and writing. See letter Word Origin and History for literarily literary adj.
1640s, “pertaining to alphabet letters,” from French littéraire, from Latin literarius/litterarius “belonging to letters or learning,” from littera/litera “letter” (see letter (n.1)). Meaning “pertaining to literature” is attested from 1737.