Meanings
plural litterateurs · alternative literateur · alternative littérateur
- A person engaged in various literary works: literary critic, essayist, writer.
[…]; and fourthly—as is evident upon the face of these pages—he is no professed litterateur, who can be starved by adverse criticism.
1877, William Herman (pseudonym; Ambrose Bierce), The Dance of Death, pages 7–81 more example
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the Roman philosopher, playwright and littérateur, was the boyhood tutor of the emperor Nero, and later on his adviser.
1969, Victor Ernest Watts (translator), Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius (author), The Consolation of Philosophy, Penguin Books, book III, chapter v, page 88, footnote 4
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinlitterātor“critic”
- Frenchlittérateur
- Englishlitterateur
From the French littérateur, from the Latin litterātor (“critic”). Doublet of literator.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French littérateur
- littérateurperson engaged in various literary works
Polish literat
- literatperson engaged in various literary works
Russian литера́тор
- литера́тор (literátor)person engaged in various literary works
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with litterateur
Cite this entry
litterateur. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/litterateur
“litterateur.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/litterateur. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “litterateur,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/litterateur.
Source: litterateur on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.