1. relating to or characteristic of a reader or the act of reading
Usage: literary criticism; academic

Examples

• The novel invites a readerly interpretation of its ambiguous ending.
• Her readerly approach focused on how audiences receive the text.
• The critic emphasized readerly response over authorial intent.
• This readerly perspective considers how meaning is constructed through reading.
• The professor discussed readerly versus writerly texts in modern literature.
• A readerly analysis examines the reader’s role in creating meaning.