Meanings
plural paperbacks
- A book with flexible binding.
Synonyms: pocketbook, livre de poche
present singular third person paperbacks · participle present paperbacking · participle past paperbacked · past paperbacked
- transitivemediaTo issue or publish (a book) in a paperback edition.
Max was anticipating paperbacking The Bodley Head's books in house rather than licensing the paperback rights to a third party, like Penguin, which reduced his royalties and might eventually lose him authors to vertical publishers.
2009, J. Adamson, Max Reinhardt: A Life in Publishing, page 71
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA book with flexible binding.
adjectiveHaving flexible binding.
More synonyms by meaning
adjective(of books) having a flexible binding
nouna book with paper covers
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From paper + back, a shortening of the older term paper-backed book.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans sagteband
- sagtebandbook
Bulgarian кни́га с ме́ки кори́ци, книга с тънки корици
- кни́га с ме́ки кори́ци (kníga s méki koríci)book
- книга с тънки корици (kniga s tănki korici)book
- с меки корици (s meki korici)having flexible binding
- с тънки корици (s tănki korici)having flexible binding
Catalan en rústica
- en rústicahaving flexible binding
Danish pocketbog
- pocketbogbook
Dutch paperback, paperback
- paperbackbook
- paperbackhaving flexible binding
Esperanto broŝuro
- broŝurobook
Finnish taskukirja, pokkari
- taskukirjabook
- pokkaribook
- pehmeäkantinenhaving flexible binding
- nidottuhaving flexible binding
French livre broché, broché
- livre brochébook
- brochéhaving flexible binding
German Broschur, broschiert
- Broschurbook
- broschierthaving flexible binding
Greek χαρτόδετο βιβλίο, χαρτόδετος
- χαρτόδετο βιβλίο (chartódeto vivlío)book
- χαρτόδετος (chartódetos)having flexible binding
Hindi पत्रावरणबद्ध पुस्तक, पेपरबैक
- पत्रावरणबद्ध पुस्तक (patrāvraṇbaddh pustak)book
- पेपरबैक (peparbaik)book
- पत्रावरणबद्ध (patrāvraṇbaddh)having flexible binding
Hungarian puha fedelű/fedeles/kötésű/táblás, fűzött
- puha fedelű/fedeles/kötésű/tábláshaving flexible binding
- fűzötthaving flexible binding
- kartonálthaving flexible binding
Icelandic pappírskilja
- pappírskiljabook
Norwegian Bokmål pocketbok, pocket
- pocketbokbook
- pocketbook
Polish miękka okładka
- miękka okładkabook
Portuguese brochura
- brochurabook
Russian кни́га в мя́гкой обло́жке
- кни́га в мя́гкой обло́жке (kníga v mjáxkoj oblóžke)book
Scottish Gaelic còmhdach bog
- còmhdach bogbook
Slovak paperback
- paperbackbook
Spanish libro de bolsillo, libro de tapa blanda
- libro de bolsillobook
- libro de tapa blandabook
Swedish pocket, pocketbok
- pocketbook
- pocketbokbook
- häftadbook
Tagalog rustika
- rustikahaving flexible binding
Cite this entry
paperback. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paperback
“paperback.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paperback. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “paperback,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paperback.
Source: paperback on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.