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Definition of 'literary'

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literary in British English

Literary in american english, examples of 'literary' in a sentence literary, cobuild collocations literary, trends of literary.

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In other languages literary

  • American English : literary / ˈlɪtərɛri /
  • Brazilian Portuguese : literário
  • Chinese : 文学的
  • European Spanish : literario
  • French : littéraire
  • German : literarisch
  • Italian : letterario
  • Japanese : 文学の
  • Korean : 문학의
  • European Portuguese : literário
  • Latin American Spanish : literario
  • Thai : เกี่ยวกับวรรณกรรม

Browse alphabetically literary

  • literally impossible
  • literally true
  • literary achievement
  • literary adaptation
  • literary agent
  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'L'

Related terms of literary

  • literary art
  • literary fame
  • literary form
  • literary lion
  • literary text
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writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays.

the entire body of writings of a specific language, period, people, etc.: the literature of England.

the writings dealing with a particular subject: the literature of ornithology.

the profession of a writer or author.

literary work or production.

any kind of printed material, as circulars, leaflets, or handbills: literature describing company products.

Archaic . polite learning; literary culture; appreciation of letters and books.

Origin of literature

Synonym study for literature, other words from literature.

  • pre·lit·er·a·ture, noun

Words Nearby literature

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use literature in a sentence

If you want to understand the flamboyant family of objects that make up our solar system—from puny, sputtering comets to tremendous, ringed planets—you could start by immersing yourself in the technical terms that fill the scientific literature .

Poway Unified anticipates bringing forward two new courses – ethnic studies and ethnic literature – to the school board for review, said Christine Paik, a spokeswoman for the district.

The book she completed after that trip, Coming of Age in Samoa, published in 1928, would be hailed as a classic in the literature on sexuality and adolescence.

He also told Chemistry World he envisages the robots eventually being able to analyze the scientific literature to better guide their experiments.

Research also suggests that reading literature may help increase empathy and understanding of others’ experiences, potentially spurring better real-world behavior.

The research literature , too, asks these questions, and not without reason.

She wanted to know what happened over five years, or even 10, but the scientific literature had little to offer.

The religion shaped all facets of life: art, medicine, literature , and even dynastic politics.

Speaking of the literature you love, the Bloomsbury writers crop up in your collection repeatedly.

literature in the 14th century, Strohm points out, was an intimate, interactive affair.

All along the highways and by-paths of our literature we encounter much that pertains to this "queen of plants."

There cannot be many persons in the world who keep up with the whole range of musical literature as he does.

In early English literature there was at one time a tendency to ascribe to Solomon various proverbs not in the Bible.

He was deeply versed in Saxon literature and published a work on the antiquity of the English church.

Such unromantic literature as Acts of Parliament had not, it may be supposed, up to this, formed part of my mental pabulum.

British Dictionary definitions for literature

/ ( ˈlɪtərɪtʃə , ˈlɪtrɪ- ) /

written material such as poetry, novels, essays, etc, esp works of imagination characterized by excellence of style and expression and by themes of general or enduring interest

the body of written work of a particular culture or people : Scandinavian literature

written or printed matter of a particular type or on a particular subject : scientific literature ; the literature of the violin

printed material giving a particular type of information : sales literature

the art or profession of a writer

obsolete learning

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Definition of literary adjective from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

Questions about grammar and vocabulary?

Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.

  • 3 liking literature very much; studying or writing literature a literary man

Other results

Nearby words.

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COMMENTS

  1. What Is the Literary Definition of a Major Character?

    In literature, a major character is defined as a character that is central to the development and resolution of the story’s conflict. Most of the action of the story happens around the major character or characters, and their activity advan...

  2. How Is an Author’s Craft Defined?

    Any profession has a specific set of skills and tools to help workers in that field do a good job, and for writers, those skills include narrative elements and literary devices. Narrative elements are terms of storytelling while literary de...

  3. What Is Satire Comedy?

    Satire is commonly defined as a literary genre in which comedic forms, as well as ridicule and exaggeration, are used to focus on human weakness and societal problems. Comedic satire also appears in film, poetry and television.

  4. LITERARY

    literary definition: 1. relating to literature (= written artistic works, especially those with a high and lasting…. Learn more.

  5. Literary Definition & Meaning

    The meaning of LITERARY is of, relating to, or having the characteristics of humane learning or literature. How to use literary in a

  6. LITERARY definition and meaning

    Literary means concerned with or connected with the writing, study, or appreciation of literature. Her literary criticism focuses on the way great

  7. Literary

    Use literary when you want to indicate writing with high artistic qualities. Something doesn't have to be "literature" to be literary, but they are related.

  8. LITERARY Definition & Usage Examples

    Literary definition: pertaining to or of the nature of books and writings, especially those classed as literature. See examples of LITERARY

  9. Literature

    Literature, a body of written works. The name has traditionally been applied to those imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by

  10. LITERATURE Definition & Usage Examples

    literature · writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or

  11. literary adjective

    Definition of literary adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes

  12. Literature

    Literature is often referred to synecdochically as "writing", especially creative writing, and poetically as "the craft of writing" (or simply "the craft"). Syd

  13. What is Literature? || Definition & Examples

    Barthes' definition straddles the line between objectivity and subjectivity. Literature differs from the mass of writing by offering more and different kinds of

  14. literary adjective

    Definition of literary adjective in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes