Dictionary

bookish en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈbʊkəʃ/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈbʊkɪʃ/ (Received-Pronunciation, US)
• /ˈbɵkɪʃ/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /ˈbuːkɪʃ/ some Northern England, especially Northumbria
• /ˈbʉkɪʃ/ (Northern-Ireland, Scotland)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂ǵosder.? Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂g-der.? Proto-Germanic *bōks Proto-West Germanic *bōk Old English bōc Middle English bok English book Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -isch English -ish English bookish From book + -ish.

Meanings

1. Fond of reading or studying, especially said of someone lacking social skills as a result.
   • From a child I was fond of reading, and all the little money that came into my hands was ever laid out in books. […] This bookish inclination at length determined my father to make me a printer, though he had already one son (James) of that profession. 1783, Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, page 16:
   • A Google search reveals Gendrot has no great internet or social media footprint, but in any case, he says, the police recruiters did not delve into his background. He did change his round spectacles to look less “bookish”. 2020 September 3, Kim Willsher, “French reporter who joined police exposes racism and violence”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
2. Characterized by a method of expression generally found in books.
   • Obviously, neither Corneille nor the characters who laugh at excessively bookish speech avoid literary convention. 1996, Helen L. Harrison, Pistoles/Paroles: Money and Language in Seventeenth-century French Comedy, page 50:
   • Besides, all my New York friends were in the negative, nightmare position of putting down society and giving their tired bookish or political or psychoanalytical reasons, […] 1957 September 5, Jack Kerouac, chapter 1, in On the Road, New York, N.Y.: Viking Press, →OCLC, part 1:

Forms

Deriveds

overbookish · bookishness · nonbookish · bookishly · unbookish

Relateds

comic-bookish · nerd

Synonyms

labored (characterized by expression found in books) · formal (characterized by expression found in books) · literary (characterized by expression found in books) · pedantic (characterized by expression found in books)

Translations (57)

fr scolaire (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · hu hivatalos (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · fr livresque (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · bg книжовен (given to reading; fond of study) · sv skriftspråklig (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · pl książkowy (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · el λόγιος (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · es literario (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · bg книжен (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · fi paperinen (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · cs intelektuálský (given to reading; fond of study) · kk кітаби (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · yi לומדיש (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · es mateo (given to reading; fond of study) · pl dużo czytający (given to reading; fond of study) · nl schools (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · yi אָנגעלייענט (given to reading; fond of study) · fr formaliste (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · ja 文語の (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · fi lukuintoinen (given to reading; fond of study) · fi paperinmakuinen (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · fi kirjallinen (given to reading; fond of study) · kk оқымысты (given to reading; fond of study) · es libresco (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · kk оқу өтіп кеткен (given to reading; fond of study) · hu könyvszerű (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · cs knižní (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · el μελετηρός (given to reading; fond of study) · hu tudálékos (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · hu hivataloskodó (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · hu könyvszagú (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · fr rat de bibliothèque (given to reading; fond of study) · es estudioso (given to reading; fond of study) · hu olvasni/tanulni szerető (given to reading; fond of study) · ru кни́жный (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · nl litterair (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · nl eigengereid (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · fr pédant (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · es empollón (given to reading; fond of study) · nl formalistisch (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · fr bouquineur (given to reading; fond of study) · es matado (given to reading; fond of study) · ru кни́жный (given to reading; fond of study) · cs knihomolský (given to reading; fond of study) · es formalista (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · sv litterär (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · hu papírízű (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · hu könyvkedvelő (given to reading; fond of study) · fi kirjoihin uppoutuva (given to reading; fond of study) · mr पुस्तकी (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · hu könyvszerető (given to reading; fond of study) · fr cuistre (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · yi ביכערדיק (given to reading; fond of study) · nl pedant (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · nl boekenworm (given to reading; fond of study) · es pedante (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books) · fr littéraire (characterized by a method of expression generally found in books)