of, pertaining to, or like an essay, esp. in style, format, or organization and often in reflecting a more personal approach than a treatise, thesis, or the like
2.
resembling formal exposition
3.
expository; discursive; explanatory
Word origin
[1860–65; essay + -istic]This word is first recorded in the period 1860–65. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: blind spot, calibrate, institutionalism, pop-up, trade name-istic is a suffix of adjectives (and in the plural, of nouns from adjectives) formed fromnouns ending in -ist and having reference to such nouns, or to associated nouns in -ism (deistic; euphuistic; puristic). In nouns, it usually has a plural form (linguistics)
Examples of 'essayistic' in a sentence
essayistic
Nevertheless, it is the essayistic elements that impress most.
The Times Literary Supplement (2016)
But while most demonstrate the proper essayistic spirit, some also have proper journalistic backbone.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
But in the end, this essayistic method is powerfully convincing.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
To a large extent this is due to its highly cerebral, abstract, almost essayistic quality.
Times, Sunday Times (2018)
It is more essayistic, concerned largely with relational arrangements of incidents, as in a plot summary.
The Times Literary Supplement (2016)
The narrative style is essayistic in parts, underlining this similarity; it is also the novel's most original quality.