literary

literary — adjective

1. connected with written works of art such as novels, plays, and poetry that peopl

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

connected with written works of art such as novels, plays, and poetry that people value for their beauty or ideas.

Example

Yan is writing a literary analysis of three Canadian novels for her final university project.

collocation: literary analysis

The literary festival in Taipei attracts authors and poets from across East Asia every spring.

collocation: literary festival

Common collocations
  • literary work
  • literary criticism
  • literary theory
  • literary award
  • literary festival
  • literary magazine
  • literary tradition
  • literary merit
Synonyms
  • scholarly

    focuses on academic study rather than artistic value of literature

  • artistic

    broader — includes visual arts, music, and performance, not only written works

  • intellectual

    emphasises ideas and thinking rather than the form of written works

Grammar Patterns

literary + noun (e.g. literary work, literary criticism, literary festival)

Usage Note

Frequently appears before nouns describing things connected to literature — works, criticism, theory, festivals, awards, magazines. The predicative use (This novel is very literary) is possible but less common than the attributive use.

Common Mistakes

I enjoy literary.
I enjoy literary fiction.
literary is most often used before a noun; it sounds incomplete when used alone.

2. describes language or writing that is typical of formal artistic literature rath

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes language or writing that is typical of formal artistic literature rather than ordinary everyday speech.

Example

The mayor's speech sounded too literary for the crowd of factory workers and shop owners.

too literary — adverb + adjective pattern expressing excess

Kwame's writing style is highly literary, with long sentences and rich nature descriptions.

highly literary — intensifying adverb + adjective

Common collocations
  • highly literary
  • too literary
  • overly literary
  • literary style
  • literary language
  • literary quality
Synonyms
  • formal

    broader — refers to any careful, polite, or official language, not specifically literary

  • poetic

    more specific — suggests rhythm, imagery, and emotional expression like in poetry

  • ornate

    emphasises decorative or elaborate language, often with a slightly negative tone

Antonyms
  • colloquial

    describes language used in ordinary conversation rather than in formal writing

  • informal

    describes relaxed, everyday language without literary features

Grammar Patterns

be/look/sound/seem + literary

Usage Note

Often carries a contrastive tone — comparing formal literary expression with simpler, more direct speech. When used with 'too' or 'overly', it can imply criticism: the writing feels unnatural or unnecessarily elaborate for the context.

Common Mistakes

His report was literary, with charts and numbers.
His report was formal, with charts and numbers.
literary describes artistic language, not technical or business writing.

3. describes a person who has read a wide range of literature and knows a lot about

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a person who has read a wide range of literature and knows a lot about books and authors.

Example

Andrew is very literary and can discuss authors from ancient Greece to modern Japan.

very literary + can discuss — describing a person's reading knowledge

Ramón comes from a literary family where debating novels at dinner is normal.

literary family — attributive use describing a group

Common collocations
  • very literary
  • deeply literary
  • literary person
  • literary family
  • literary household
  • literary friends
Synonyms
  • well-read

    nearly synonymous but slightly broader — can include non-fiction and popular books too

  • bookish

    can carry a slightly negative or teasing tone, suggesting someone spends too much time reading

  • scholarly

    implies formal academic study rather than personal reading habits

Antonyms
  • unread

    direct opposite — someone who has not read much

  • illiterate

    much stronger — unable to read; not a direct antonym in most contexts

Grammar Patterns

be + literary (about a person)

Usage Note

Most natural in predicative position (She is very literary). Attributive use with family, household, or person is acceptable but less common. The meaning overlaps with 'well-read', but literary carries a stronger implication of formal, classic literature rather than casual reading.

Common Mistakes

He is literary about gardening.
He is well-informed about gardening.
literary refers to book knowledge of literature, not general knowledge.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe pursuits of the mind, but they focus on different domains. Literary specifically relates to written works of art — novels, poetry, plays — and their style or study. Scholarly points to rigorous academic research, often involving footnotes and peer review; a scholar can study literature, but the word also covers physics or history. Artistic is broader, encompassing visual arts, music, dance, and performance alongside writing. Intellectual emphasises abstract thinking and ideas; someone can be deeply intellectual without caring about literature at all. For example, a literary critic analyses the language in a poem; a scholarly historian examines original documents; an artistic person paints or composes music; and an intellectual debates philosophy over coffee.

literary ↗scholarlyartistic ↗intellectual ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • literary merit
  • literary value
  • literary device
  • literary technique

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Literary comes from the Latin word litterarius, meaning 'of writing or of letters', which itself comes from littera, meaning 'a letter of the alphabet'. The word entered English in the mid-1600s from French littéraire. Over time it moved from simply meaning 'connected with written letters' to its modern meaning of 'connected with works of artistic writing'.