Skip to main content
bibliophile

bibliophile

2 8.8
A person who loves books and collects them, often rare or old
  • noun
  • /ˈbɪbliəˌfaɪl/
translation icon : bibliófilo
  • Michall Jeffers is an accomplished cultural journalist and an avowed bibliophile.
  • Russian bibliophiles

And he was a real bibliophile.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Unless you belong to a book club or associate with a bunch of bibliophiles, with whom are you going to share what you learned from books?

    Blog text (17)
  • It's always interesting to read what other bibliophiles and writers have to say on the subject.

    Blog text (13)
  • But, up to then, I was a bibliophile, and still am.

    Blog text (17)
  • His example turned me into a bibliophile.

    Blog text (17)
  • Growing up in a family of bibliophiles, that concept has always been completely alien to me.

    Blog text (17)
  • We bibliophiles are reduced to finding bad reasons for what we believe on instinct.

    Blog text (9)
  • Rob, a self-confessed bibliophile, is without any hope of rehabilitation.

    Blog text (12)
  • Some bibliophiles specialize in gothic novels... others in books of hours.

  • As avid readers and bibliophiles, we fell in love with the beautiful line drawings in the books in our family library.

    Blog text (5)
  • As a devoted bibliophile, she spent her weekends exploring antique bookstores for rare editions.

Synonyms

reader
vsbibliophile
679 1.0

A person who enjoys looking at books and magazines for pleasure

is focused on collecting rare or finely made books rather than general reading
bookworm
vsbibliophile
14 3.2

A person who loves reading and spends a lot of time with books

collects and values rare or finely produced books rather than mainly reading
book lover
vsbibliophile
3 1.4

A person who loves reading and collecting books

focuses on fine or rare editions rather than general collecting
book-reader
vsbibliophile
1 1.0

A person who regularly reads books for pleasure

is more about collecting valued editions than simply regular reading
booklover
vsbibliophile
1 2.5

A person who likes reading and collecting books

prefers collecting fine or rare printed editions for their value
bibliomaniac
vsbibliophile
1 8.9

A person who loves books and reads or collects many of them

is less obsessive and more moderate in book collecting and love
avid book-reader
vsbibliophile
3.2

A person who reads many books for pleasure

focuses on collecting fine or rare editions rather than just reading many books

How Book-Loving

bibliophile
2 8.8
book lover
3 1.4
reader
679 1.0

Surface Forms

bibliophile singular
bibliophiles plural

Morphology

bibliophile = biblio + phile

The meaning is compositional as 'book' + 'lover', but both parts are learned combining forms rather than ordinary standalone English words, so it is not fully transparent to an average learner.

Etymology

Bibliophile comes from Greek parts biblio meaning 'book' and phile meaning 'lover', the same element you see in audiophile. So a bibliophile is simply a 'book-lover' who loves or collects books.