English

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

1. (plural) well-educated, literary people; intellectuals who are interested in literature
   • 1748, Tobias George Smollett, The Adventures of Roderick Random

     First, to Counsellor Fitzclabber, who, he told me, was then employed in compiling a history of the kings of Minster, from Irish manuscripts; and then to his friend Mr. Gahagan, who was a profound philosopher and politician, and had projected many excellent schemes for the good of his country. But it seems these literati had been very ill rewarded for their ingenious labours; for, between them both, there was but one shirt, and half a pair of breeches.

   • 1883, Isabella L. Bird, The Golden Chersonese and The Way Thither

     He is not of the people, this lordly magistrate. He is one of the privileged literati. His literary degrees are high and numerous.

Antonyms

• illiterati

Related terms

• glitterati
• intelligentsia

• Intellectuals
• The scholar-bureaucrats or literati of imperial China
  • Literati painting, also known as the Southern School of painting, developed by Chinese literati
  • The literati style of bonsai, consisting of thin, elegant trees in the calligraphic style of literati painting
  • Confuciansim, known as the School of Literati
• The game Literati, a variant of Scrabble developed by Yahoo! Games