as in bookseller
one who is keenly devoted to books
a bookman since toddlerhood, he's never shown much interest in television or video games
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Recent Examples of bookman
Subsequent chapters explore great bookmen of the Renaissance, from the Florentine tradesman Vespasiano da Bisticci and the Flemish illuminator Simon Bening to the English antiquarian Sir Robert Cotton — manuscript obsessives all.
—
Bruce Holsinger, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2023
Once asked to describe himself, McMurtry called himself a writer, a screenwriter — and perhaps most significantly, a bookman.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2021
In the 1970s and ’80s, a flamboyant Texas bookman and one-time president of the ABAA named John Jenkins made money selling stolen and forged items to libraries and collectors.
—Travis McDade, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Aug. 2020
As bookmen and women became intelligence agents, the ordinary activities of librarianship—acquisition, cataloguing, and reproduction—became fraught with mystery, uncertainty, and even danger.
—Time, 3 Jan. 2020
Books would come in monthly, 10 or 15 at a time, carefully packed as only a bookman can pack books, and Dimunation would open them, eager for the riches inside.
—Jorge Dionis, Town & Country, 6 Dec. 2013
Bruce Holsinger, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2023
Once asked to describe himself, McMurtry called himself a writer, a screenwriter — and perhaps most significantly, a bookman.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2021
In the 1970s and ’80s, a flamboyant Texas bookman and one-time president of the ABAA named John Jenkins made money selling stolen and forged items to libraries and collectors.
—Travis McDade, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Aug. 2020
As bookmen and women became intelligence agents, the ordinary activities of librarianship—acquisition, cataloguing, and reproduction—became fraught with mystery, uncertainty, and even danger.
—Time, 3 Jan. 2020
Books would come in monthly, 10 or 15 at a time, carefully packed as only a bookman can pack books, and Dimunation would open them, eager for the riches inside.
—Jorge Dionis, Town & Country, 6 Dec. 2013
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bookman
Noun
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Garing has seen a shift in Merrill as she's moved from content creator to bookseller.—
Gili Malinsky
Tasia Jensen,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
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In 1996, the bookseller opened a two-story location in downtown’s Sundance Square, on Commerce at East 3rd streets, around the corner from the AMC Palace movie theater.—
Matt Leclercq,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That’s what the Philadelphia bibliophile William Carl Bolivar told Arturo Schomburg, his younger counterpart in New York, as the two men exchanged book lists, shared tips on where to hunt down rare titles, and bragged about their latest finds.—
Laura E. Helton,
Literary Hub,
20 Apr. 2026
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For bibliophiles, reading is an immersive experience, so gifts that help set the stage for peaceful reading sessions, like candles or a bottle of wine, are a great idea.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The antiquarian admittedly didn’t have such an easy road to the opening in 2005.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
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Martin Farquhar Tupper, a poet and an antiquarian favored by Queen Victoria, argued that Rapa Nui was the remnant of a lost continent whose people had perished.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bookman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bookman. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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