epistolary
adjective
epis·to·lary
| \ i-ˈpi-stə-ˌler-ē
, ˌe-pi-ˈstȯ-lə-rē
\
, ˌe-pi-ˈstȯ-lə-rē
\
Definition of epistolary
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: of, relating to, or suitable to a letter
2
: contained in or carried on by letters
an endless sequence of … epistolary love affairs — The Times Literary Supplement (London)
3
: written in the form of a series of letters
an epistolary novel
epistolary
noun
plural epistolaries
Definition of epistolary (Entry 2 of 2)
: a lectionary containing a body of liturgical epistles
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Examples of epistolary in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
The epistolary format of Semple’s book (piecing together emails, diary entries, memos, and the like) is better suited to unraveling the circumstances of her disappearance. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Richard Linklater’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette Is a Gripping Mess," 16 Aug. 2019 Two of her novels are epistolary, so that the characters take turns speaking in the first person. — Joan Acocella, The New Yorker, "Rediscovering Natalia Ginzburg," 22 July 2019 Were there any epistolary novels that inspired you? — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward talk the inherent sexiness of letter writing, reveal Dirty Letters cover," 18 July 2019 The text-message epistolary novel takes place in a future New York that has imploded into an authoritarian regime, the authority in question being money. — Cathleen Schine, The New York Review of Books, "Bonfire of the Bathroom Vanities," 17 Jan. 2019 This work, which took journalist Adam Higginbotham over a decade to research, draws on hundreds of hours of interviews with sources, and also brings in epistolary and unpublished works, along with documents that were formerly classified. — NBC News, "Obsessed with 'Fleabag', 'Big Little Lies' or 'Chernobyl'? Binge on one of these books next.," 24 June 2019 Moreover, his epistolary partner, the publisher James Laughlin, was, in his very different way, also a titan—an unusually quiet one, to be sure, but unquestionably one of the central figures of American letters of the last century. — The New York Review of Books, "Simon Callow," 6 June 2019 An autobiography in plaster, paint and physical objects, Strawberry Hill was a counterpoint to the 4,000 letters that made Walpole one of the sharpest correspondents of an epistolary age. — Dominic Green, WSJ, "One Man’s Gothic Fantasy," 26 Oct. 2018 Hey man, this newsletter only needs a little embellishment to be extremely trendy autofiction written in epistolary fashion, just saying. — Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, "SpaceX gets into space tourism while the Department of Justice gets into Tesla," 21 Sep. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epistolary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for epistolary
epistolary
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of epistolary
formal
: of or relating to a letter : suitable to a letter
: written in the form of a series of letters
See the full definition for epistolary in the English Language Learners Dictionary