Readerly

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Exhibiting traits or characteristics typical of individuals who actively read and interpret texts deeply
2. Pertaining to qualities typical of someone who engages with texts by reading thoroughly
3. Describing attributes associated with individuals who interpret and appreciate written material

Etymology: "Readerly" is a plain formation: the noun "reader" with the adjective-forming suffix "-ly" added, giving the sense "of or characteristic of a reader." The suffix "-ly" comes from Old English "-lic," which itself grew from the word for "body" or "form," so the same ending that turns "friend" into "friendly" or "day" into "daily" is doing the work here. The base "reader," meanwhile, goes back to Old English "rǣdere," a person who reads or interprets. The meaning is a little sharper than the parts suggest. Where "reader" names a person, "readerly" describes the qualities of close, attentive reading itself, the habits of mind that a good reader brings to a text. The word is most often set against "writerly," the qualities of a text that invites the author's craft to be admired, which is why the pair is useful in discussions of literary style.

Synonyms: literary, bookish, academic, erudite, scholarly

Antonyms: unliterary, illiterate, ignorant, uncultured, uninformed