textbookish

[ tekst-book-ish ]

adjective

1. suggesting a textbook, especially in literary style or composition.

Word History and Origins

Origin of textbookish¹

First recorded in 1925–30; textbook + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

The formidable drama critic Richard Gilman said of a 1983 revival that the play, “a muddled and textbookish tale of sexual desire, is in no way ‘larger-than-life,’ and the effort to make it so is precisely what makes it so melodramatic.”

From Los Angeles Times

Having said that, they still command the love of an audience who greet seven textbookish new songs with all the disco-dancing giddiness they do the hits.

From The Guardian

That notion, a bit textbookish to most citizens, is a good deal less abstract to the 2.1 million members of the American military.

From Time Magazine Archive

Dr. Metz's running comment is on the textbookish side, but no matter.

From Time Magazine Archive