as in colloquial
used in or suitable for speech and not formal writing
poems written in a natural, unliterary voice
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Recent Examples of unliterary
The bond between Alice and the spiky, decidedly unliterary Felix might flummox.
—
New York Times, 1 Sep. 2021
Both were born as writers in public libraries—hyper-bright American Jewish urban boys from unliterary backgrounds, encountering the classics on their own, without too much pre-sorting, responding with delight, imitation, amusement, and familiarity.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2021
New York Times, 1 Sep. 2021
Both were born as writers in public libraries—hyper-bright American Jewish urban boys from unliterary backgrounds, encountering the classics on their own, without too much pre-sorting, responding with delight, imitation, amusement, and familiarity.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unliterary
Adjective
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What is a Green Beret? Green Beret is the colloquial name used for members of the U.S. Army Special Forces.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr.,
USA TODAY,
2 Jan. 2025
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Purple group — colloquial suffixes (CORE, GATE, MANIA, PILLED) No perfect game, but that's nine wins in a row.—
Kris Holt,
Forbes,
5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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While the brand has collaborated with everyone from Sacai and Undercover to Bulgari, Rimowa and most recently, Ugg, Ahn wanted the book to focus on its own aesthetic — perhaps also to remind industry observers of the origin of some ideas that have since entered the fashion vernacular.—
Joelle Diderich,
WWD,
26 Feb. 2025
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Elon Musk is street vernacular for a male body part.—
Rebecca Falconer,
Axios,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Not in a classroom with a lecture but sitting on your couch with your family, eating some popcorn, getting this informal education, and hopefully planting a seed that, hey, Black women do this type of science.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
7 Mar. 2025
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Meanwhile, many women around the world are still struggling to find work, with many holding precarious jobs or forced to hustle in the informal economy just to get by.—
Meera Senthilingam,
CNN,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unliterary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unliterary. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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