Standard Lemma guide

bookworm

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈbʊk.wɜːm/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B UH1 K W ER2 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of various insects that infest books.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An avid book reader.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bibliophage, bibliophile, bibliovore, book lover, librophile, librovore

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

someone who spends a great deal of time reading

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: reader

4

noun

Meaning 4

a person who pays more attention to formal rules and book learning than they merit

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pedant, scholastic

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: scholar, scholarly person, bookman, student

Narrower terms: purist

History

Etymology

From book + worm.

Across languages

Translations

125 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: գրամոլ (gramol) — insect
  • Belarusian: кні́жны чарвя́к (knížny čarvják) — insect
  • Bulgarian: кни́жен че́рвей (knížen čérvej) — insect
  • Chinese Mandarin: 書蛀蟲 /书蛀虫 (shūzhùchóng) — insect
  • Chinese Mandarin: 蠹魚 /蠹鱼 (dùyú) — insect
  • Czech: knihomol — insect
  • Danish: bogorm — insect
  • Dutch: boekenwurm — insect
  • Finnish: kirjatoukka — insect
  • Finnish: kirjakoi — insect
  • German: Bücherwurm — insect
  • Greek: βιβλιοσκώληξ (vivlioskólix) — insect
  • Greek: βιβλιοφάγος (vivliofágos) — insect
  • Hindi: दीमक (dīmak) — insect
  • Hindi: किताबी कीड़ा (kitābī kīṛā) — insect
  • Hindi: पुस्तक कीट (pustak kīṭ) — insect
  • Italian: bibliofago — insect
  • Japanese: 紙魚 (shimi) — insect
  • Japanese: 本の虫 (hon no mushi) — insect
  • Kazakh: кітап құрты (kıtap qūrty) — insect
  • Korean: 책벌레 (chaekbeolle) — insect
  • Macedonian: книжен молец (knižen molec) — insect
  • Macedonian: црвец во книга (crvec vo kniga) — insect
  • Marathi: पुस्तकी कीडा (pustakī kīḍā) — insect
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bokorm — insect
  • Polish: mól książkowy — insect
  • Portuguese: traça — insect
  • Romanian: molie de cărți — insect
  • Russian: кни́жный червь (knížnyj červʹ) — insect
  • Russian: кни́жная вошь (knížnaja vošʹ) — insect
  • Russian: книгое́д (knigojéd) — insect
  • Serbo-Croatian: књишки мољац — insect
  • Serbo-Croatian: knjiški moljac — insect
  • Slovak: knihomoľ — insect
  • Slovene: knjižni molj — insect
  • Swedish: bokmal — insect
  • Turkish: kitap kurdu — insect
  • Ukrainian: книжко́вий хроба́к (knyžkóvyj xrobák) — insect
  • Ukrainian: книжко́вий черв'я́к (knyžkóvyj červʺják) — insect
  • Welsh: llyfrbryf — insect
  • Yoruba: igi ìwé — insect
  • Afrikaans: boekwurm — avid reader
  • Basque: paperjale — avid reader
  • Belarusian: кні́жны чарвя́к (knížny čarvják) — avid reader
  • Belarusian: кнігае́д (knihajéd) — avid reader
  • Bulgarian: кни́жен че́рвей (knížen čérvej) — avid reader
  • Catalan: lletraferit — avid reader
  • Catalan: lletraferida — avid reader
  • Chinese Mandarin: 書蟲 /书虫 (shūchóng) — avid reader
  • Chinese Mandarin: 書呆子 /书呆子 (shūdāizi) — avid reader
  • Czech: knihomol — avid reader
  • Danish: bogorm — avid reader
  • Danish: læsehest — avid reader
  • Dutch: boekenwurm — avid reader
  • Finnish: kirjatoukka — avid reader
  • Finnish: lukutoukka — avid reader
  • French: rat de bibliothèque — avid reader
  • French: papivore — avid reader
  • French: bibliophage — avid reader
  • Georgian: წიგნის ჭია (c̣ignis č̣ia) — avid reader
  • German: Bücherwurm — avid reader
  • German: Leseratte — avid reader
  • German: Bücherbohrer — avid reader
  • Greek: βιβλιοφάγος (vivliofágos) — avid reader
  • Greek: βιβλιόφιλος (vivliófilos) — avid reader
  • Greek: φιλαναγνώστης (filanagnóstis) — avid reader
  • Hebrew: תּוֹלַעַת סְפָרִים (tolá'at sfarím) — avid reader
  • Hindi: किताबी कीड़ा (kitābī kīṛā) — avid reader
  • Hindi: पुस्तक कीट (pustak kīṭ) — avid reader
  • Hungarian: könyvmoly — avid reader
  • Icelandic: lestrarhestur — avid reader
  • Indonesian: kutu buku — avid reader
  • Irish: léitheoir craosach — avid reader
  • Italian: bibliofago — avid reader
  • Italian: topo di biblioteca — avid reader
  • Japanese: 本の虫 (hon no mushi) — avid reader
  • Japanese: 書痴 (shochi) — avid reader
  • Kannada: ಕುಡುಮಿ (kuḍumi) — avid reader
  • Kazakh: кітап құрты (kıtap qūrty) — avid reader
  • Korean: 독서광 (dokseogwang) — avid reader
  • Korean: 책벌레 (chaekbeolle) — avid reader
  • Macedonian: книжен молец (knižen molec) — avid reader
  • Macedonian: книгољубец (knigoljubec) — avid reader
  • Malay: kutu buku — avid reader
  • Malay: ulat buku — avid reader
  • Manx: sheer-lhaider — avid reader
  • Marathi: पुस्तकी कीडा (pustakī kīḍā) — avid reader
  • Norwegian Bokmål: lesehest — avid reader
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bokorm — avid reader
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: lesehest — avid reader
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: bokorm — avid reader
  • Polish: mól książkowy — avid reader
  • Portuguese: rato de biblioteca — avid reader
  • Portuguese: bibliófago — avid reader
  • Punjabi: ਕਿਤਾਬੀ ਕੀੜਾ (kitābī kīṛā) — avid reader
  • Romanian: șoarece de bibliotecă — avid reader
  • Russian: кни́жный червь (knížnyj červʹ) — avid reader
  • Russian: книгое́д (knigojéd) — avid reader
  • Russian: книголю́б (knigoljúb) — avid reader
  • Russian: библиофи́л (bibliofíl) — avid reader
  • Russian: книгоче́й (knigočéj) — avid reader
  • Russian: кни́жник (knížnik) — avid reader
  • Serbo-Croatian: књишки мољац — avid reader
  • Serbo-Croatian: knjiški moljac — avid reader
  • Slovak: knihomoľ — avid reader
  • Slovene: knjižni molj — avid reader
  • Spanish: ratón de biblioteca — avid reader
  • Spanish: tragalibros — avid reader
  • Spanish: comelibros — avid reader
  • Spanish: letraherido — avid reader
  • Swedish: bokmal — avid reader
  • Swedish: läslus — avid reader
  • Swedish: bokslukare — avid reader
  • Tagalog: palabasa — avid reader
  • Thai: หนอนหนังสือ (nɔ̌ɔn-nǎng-sʉ̌ʉ) — avid reader
  • Turkish: kitap kurdu — avid reader
  • Ukrainian: книжко́вий хроба́к (knyžkóvyj xrobák) — avid reader
  • Ukrainian: книголю́б (knyholjúb) — avid reader
  • Ukrainian: бібліофі́л (bibliofíl) — avid reader
  • Ukrainian: кни́жник (knýžnyk) — avid reader
  • Ukrainian: кни́жниця (knýžnycja) — avid reader
  • Ukrainian: книгої́д (knyhojíd) — avid reader
  • Vietnamese: mọt sách — avid reader
  • Welsh: llyfrbryf — avid reader
  • Welsh: llyfrgarwr — avid reader
Real reading context

bookworm in complete knowledge articles