as in literary
suggestive of the vocabulary used in books
"fealty" is a bookish synonym for "loyalty"
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Recent Examples of bookish
Calgary, Alberta The third-largest city by population in Canada, Calgary offers a vibrant destination for literary enthusiasts that is a refreshing change of pace from the often sleepy, romantic bookish towns.
—
Lara Kramer, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Mar. 2026
Those making more bookish and insular styles of the genre, like the Magnetic Fields and Belle and Sebastian, weren’t being worshipped as critical darlings; in some cases their records hadn’t made it to America yet.
—David Glickman, Pitchfork, 27 Mar. 2026
What bookish person doesn’t want a vicarious, insider’s look at The New Yorker?
—The Know, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
For many years, Larijani was seen as the bookish front man for the regime, a counterpoint to his more fiery colleagues.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bookish
Lara Kramer, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Mar. 2026
Those making more bookish and insular styles of the genre, like the Magnetic Fields and Belle and Sebastian, weren’t being worshipped as critical darlings; in some cases their records hadn’t made it to America yet.
—David Glickman, Pitchfork, 27 Mar. 2026
What bookish person doesn’t want a vicarious, insider’s look at The New Yorker?
—The Know, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
For many years, Larijani was seen as the bookish front man for the regime, a counterpoint to his more fiery colleagues.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bookish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bookish
literary
Adjective
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The room, packed with about 100 people, was filled with members of the publishing industry and icons of New York City’s cultural and literary circles.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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There’s no such thing as an expedient literary translation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bookish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bookish. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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