ˌlid.əˈrä]d.(ˌ)]ē, ˌlitə-, -ˈrȧ], ](ˌ)t], ]i also -ˈrāˌtī noun plural
Etymology: obsolete Italian & Latin; obsolete Italian litterati, from Latin, plural of litteratus
1. : the educated class : intelligentsia
these literati educated to admire the spirit of classical antiquity — C.J.Friedrich
the Indian literati — Selig Harrison
2. : men of letters
hegira of many of the literati to Europe, where they hoped to live the creative life and produce … poems and novels — C.I.Glicksberg
specifically : avant-garde 2
professed intense scorn for its crackpot literati and painters — S.J.Perelman