bookish
adjective
book·ish
| \ ˈbu̇-kish
\
\
Definition of bookish
1a
: of or relating to books
b
: fond of books and reading
2a
: inclined to rely on book knowledge
b
of words
: literary and formal as opposed to colloquial and informal
c
: given to literary or scholarly pursuits
also
: affectedly learned
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms & Antonyms for bookish
Synonyms
Antonyms
colloquial, nonliterary, unbookish
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of bookish in a Sentence
Their teacher was a bookish fellow.
“fealty” is a bookish synonym for “loyalty”
Recent Examples on the Web
Booth, who died at 80 on Aug. 20 in Wales, is the bibliophile Barnum who rescued the Welsh-English border town of Hay-on-Wye by remaking it into a celebration of all things bookish. — Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, "This “king” jolted a tiny Welsh town to life with 6 bookshops and a horse for prime minister," 28 Aug. 2019 His demeanor and teaching style appealed to our most talented athletes and our most bookish students. — James Weber, Cincinnati.com, "Gene Morrison, Covington Latin athletic director, teacher, coach dies at 64," 18 July 2019 To make up more ground, look toward bookish guideposts — publishers, international literary prizes and journals that specialize in global literature. — Nicole Lamy, New York Times, "Around the World in Books," 16 Jan. 2018 Olivia Thirlby stars as Holly, who as a preteen lost her mother — the one person in her family who understood her bookish, introverted personality. — Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, "Review: Dinosaur-riding Nazis in ‘Iron Sky, The Coming Race’ and more," 18 July 2019 How about that bookish heroines are the most endearing? — Angela Haupt, chicagotribune.com, "‘The Bookish Life of Nina Hill’ is a millennial charmer," 13 July 2019 His then-assistant, aspiring screenwriter Byron Burton, came to him with the idea, and Ottman was skeptical that Beast, the bookish, blue-furred X-Man played by Nicholas Hoult could carry his own movie. — Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, "Longtime 'X-Men' Editor Shares His Abandoned 'Beast' Script," 14 June 2019 Children raised in families with little tradition of literacy seldom do as well as those from more bookish backgrounds. — The Economist, "The killing of a black Jew sparks protests in Israel," 11 July 2019 To get an even more bookish effect, a lot of the models wore large, wire-rimmed glasses. — Kristen Bateman, Allure, "Chanel's Minimal Ponytails Are Summer's Easiest Hairstyle," 2 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bookish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for bookish
bookish
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of bookish
sometimes disapproving
: more interested in reading books and studying than doing more physical activities (such as sports)
See the full definition for bookish in the English Language Learners Dictionary
Keep scrolling for more