Meanings
- uncountableAny work of fiction regarded as having literary merit.
I don't think "A is for Apple" qualifies as literary fiction.
1 more example
The present book is mainly about literary fiction, because this is where the confusion is most profound, but in some contexts it may be useful or interesting to include non-fiction.
2014 January 30, Geir Farner, Literary Fiction: The Ways We Read Narrative Literature, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 29Antonyms: popular fiction
- uncountableFiction lacking speculative elements and centred on character and theme.
While she usually reads science fiction, she also enjoys literary fiction.
2 more examples
We represent works in a wide range of categories, with an emphasis on literary fiction, outstanding thriller and crime fiction, and serious narrative nonfiction.
2018 September 14, Robert Lee Brewer, editor, Guide to Literary Agents 2019: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published, F+W Media, →ISBN, page 355It could be argued that Sally Rooney writes romance stories, although she's classified as literary fiction.
2023 November 11, Madison Darbyshire, “Hot stuff”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 9Antonyms: speculative fiction, genre fiction
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny work of fiction regarded as having literary merit.
nounFiction lacking speculative elements and centred on character and theme.
Translations
Dutch literaire fictie
- literaire fictiefiction of high artistic quality
French littérature blanche, littérature générale
- littérature blanchefiction of high artistic quality
- littérature généralefiction of high artistic quality
Hungarian szépirodalom
- szépirodalomfiction of high artistic quality
Polish literatura piękna
- literatura pięknafiction of high artistic quality
Spanish ficción literaria, ficción seria
- ficción literariafiction of high artistic quality
- ficción seriafiction of high artistic quality
- alta literaturafiction of high artistic quality
- literatura artísticafiction of high artistic quality
- ficción de no-génerofiction of high artistic quality
Cite this entry
literary fiction. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/literary%20fiction
“literary fiction.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/literary%20fiction. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “literary fiction,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/literary%20fiction.
Source: literary fiction on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.