Jamesian
adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An adherent or proponent of Jamesian (in various senses) ideas.
"Several Jamesians now hold high office in baseball. Billy Beane, a first-round draft pick who began reading back issues of the Abstract after his outfielding career stalled, was named general manager of the Oakland A's in 1997."
- 1 Of or relating to American writer Henry James (1843–1916), regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism.
- 2 Of or relating to English writer M. R. James (1862–1936), known for his original ghost stories.
- 3 Of or relating to American philosopher, historian, and psychologist William James (1842–1910).
- 4 Relating to or characteristic of American baseball writer (and founder of sabermetrics) Bill James (1949–).
"As a James fan myself I was hoping for a new set of Jamesian terms, like STAB (Streetwalkers and Transients Assassinated per Borough), say, or O.J.'s (Obstructions of Justice). And as it turns out there are a few. By the final chapter we are fluent enough in Mr. James's methodology that we don't flinch when he classifies the murder of JonBenet Ramsey as an "IQBX 9.""
- 1 of or relating to or characteristic of Henry James or his writing wordnet
- 2 of or relating to or characteristic of William James or his philosophy or his teachings wordnet
Example
More examples"As a James fan myself I was hoping for a new set of Jamesian terms, like STAB (Streetwalkers and Transients Assassinated per Borough), say, or O.J.'s (Obstructions of Justice). And as it turns out there are a few. By the final chapter we are fluent enough in Mr. James's methodology that we don't flinch when he classifies the murder of JonBenet Ramsey as an "IQBX 9.""
Etymology
From James + -ian.
Related phrases
More for "jamesian"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.