pastiche
Americannoun
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a literary, musical, or artistic piece consisting wholly or chiefly of motifs or techniques borrowed from one or more sources.
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an incongruous combination of materials, forms, motifs, etc., taken from different sources; hodgepodge.
noun
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a work of art that mixes styles, materials, etc
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a work of art that imitates the style of another artist or period
Etymology
Origin of pastiche
1700–10; < French < Italian pasticcio pasticcio
Explanation
The next time you see a movie that you think is a cheap imitation of an older, better movie, you can sound like a film critic by dismissing the picture as a thoughtless pastiche. A pastiche is an artwork that copies the style of another work or that combines various, distinct styles together into one work. A pastiche can also be a musical medley, or the piecing together of various songs. Pastiche comes from the Italian word pasticcio, which can refer to a pie containing a mix of ingredients, such as meat and pasta.
Vocabulary lists containing pastiche
Poetry: Literary Devices
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Blink
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With a jazzy score fixed atop its ’60s-era mod-cartoon opening sequence, “Propeller One-Way Night Coach” makes no effort to disguise its pastiche.
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026
These landscapes, portraits and figures, often verging on pastiche, present an academic artist rather than a painter: too much mind, not enough heart.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
He was the runner-up in 2022, armed with the cunning plan of writing a good song – the 70s glam rock pastiche Space Man – and being good at performing it.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
He opted for pseudo-macho pastiche, with a distinct Reddit-ish tang: Operation Epic Fury might as well translate to Operation Epic Bacon.
From Slate • Mar. 6, 2026
She decided we should go for a pastiche of rocker looks, rather than trying to copy any one artist.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
