noun

literati

lit-uh-RAH-tee/ˌlɪtəˈrɑːti/

well-educated literary or intellectual people considered as a group

The city's literati gather at the library to discuss new novels.

A small literary discussion group of Black, East Asian and white middle-aged adults considering open books at a library table.

Etymology

Here knowledge of letters stands for literary learning, not merely basic reading ability. The plural names educated people collectively as a learned or literary class.

In context

SOAS University of London50:12

i think for example of the monastic literati so we know in the past that most people probably couldn't read couldn't read and write except for the monks

Old Mon inscriptions and the Dvāravatī culture | SOAS University of London

More examples

Her essays attract attention among the local literati.
The café was once a meeting place for the literati.
His novels appeal to ordinary readers as well as the literati.

Forms

literati

literate adjective — able to read and write

literary adjective — connected with literature and its study

Similar words

intelligentsia: Includes the broader educated cultural class, not chiefly literary people.
intellectuals: Emphasizes serious thinkers without necessarily suggesting a literary social circle.