Chekhovian

American  

[che-koh-vee-uhn, -kaw-fee-, -kof-ee-, chek-aw-fee-uhn, -of-ee-] / tʃɛˈkoʊ vi ən, -ˈkɔ fi-, -ˈkɒf i-, ˈtʃɛk ɔ fi ən, -ɒf i- /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Anton Chekhov or his writings, especially as they are evocative of a mood of introspection and frustration.

---

Etymology

Origin of Chekhovian

First recorded in 1920–25; Chekhov + -ian

Example Sentences

The play is remarkable in its structure, which builds tension with Chekhovian grace and ferocity.

From The Wall Street Journal

He also gives these Chekhovian wobblers more spine while curtailing some of the excesses that threaten to turn character into caricature.

From Los Angeles Times

One doesn’t expect Chekhovian subtlety, but a little more trust in the perceptive powers of the audience wouldn’t be amiss.

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps because we have been down this road before, and because the series opens, flipping the old Chekhovian dictum, with the sound of shots that will later — chronologically earlier — require the display of a gun, a sense of impending disaster haunts even the quieter scenes.

From Los Angeles Times

But by so closely defining her characters by their sociological predicament, she can’t expect us to respond to them in purely Chekhovian terms.

From Los Angeles Times