How to Use literary in a Sentence

literary

adjective
  • He entered the literary world right out of college.
  • She hired a literary agent.
  • The author uses many literary devices in his work.
  • Do his books have any literary merit?
  • Mystery fiction is only one of many literary forms.
  • This is literary noir at its best.
    — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
  • To have hours over the course of two-weeks sounds like literary gold.
    — Kristin L. Wolfe, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
  • The truth is that Truth didn’t need any literary help.
    — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
  • How many of them were looking for a literary lover?
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Much of his work, from radio to film, drew on literary sources.
    — Michelle Duncan, Architectural Digest, 22 Apr. 2026
  • But wait, is that the world of literary fiction, or of fairy tales?
    — Kristen Roupenian, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023
  • Is there a link between literary forgery and art forgery?
    — JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Not that literary awards don’t have their share of problems.
    — Maris Kreizman, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
  • This is a literary thriller, mystery and an ode to true crime all wrapped up in one.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
  • The literary diary is a strange form.
    — Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Provis will have a soft literary theme.
    — Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Few literary vestals earn a place of their own in the pantheon of writers.
    — Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
  • This quiz is your chance to dive into the literary side of sci-fi greatness.
    — Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 1 Jan. 2026
  • And the tournament is still as literary as sports get.
    — Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
  • All of this is thrilling news for the literary laborer.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
  • Want to take a literary approach?
    — Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
  • The literary record assumes the same.
    — Dan Turello, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026
  • Erasure is sometimes too blunt a word for what happens to a literary life.
    — Literary Hub, 26 June 2026
  • The idea of the literary self-insert doesn’t resonate with me as a reader.
    — Carole Bell, BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2023
  • Here’s where Twain has written himself to the edge of a literary cliff.
    — John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2025
  • Burt dissects every era and ties the albums to work by literary greats.
    — Bryan West, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
  • One hopes that in the future this literary impulse will take root and flourish.
    — Hannah Gold, New Yorker, 17 June 2026
  • These changes impact the desire, the need and the chances of signing with a literary agent.
    — Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 13 May 2022
  • For the literary purists out there, this might be the most faithful adaptation of them all.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Where better to find a literary cutie than at a bookstore singles event?
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'literary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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