Gothic

American  

[goth-ik] / ˈgɒθ ɪk /

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to a style of architecture, originating in France in the middle of the 12th century and existing in the western half of Europe through the middle of the 16th century, characterized by the use of the pointed arch and the ribbed vault, by the use of fine woodwork and stonework, by a progressive lightening of structure, and by the use of such features as flying buttresses, ornamental gables, crockets, and foils.

2. pertaining to or designating the style of painting, sculpture, etc., produced between the 13th and 15th centuries, especially in northern Europe, characterized by a tendency toward realism and interest in detail.

3. of or relating to Goths or their language.

4. of or relating to the music, especially of northern Europe, of the period roughly from 1200 to 1450, including that of the Ars Antiqua, Ars Nova, and the Burgundian school.

5. pertaining to the Middle Ages; medieval.

6. (sometimes lowercase) noting or pertaining to a style of literature characterized by a gloomy setting, grotesque, mysterious, or violent events, and an atmosphere of degeneration and decay.

   19th-century Gothic novels.

7. (often lowercase) being of a genre of contemporary fiction typically relating the experiences of an often ingenuous heroine imperiled, as at an old mansion, where she typically becomes involved with a stern or mysterious but attractive man.

8. of or relating to the goth subculture or musical scene.

9. noting or pertaining to the alphabetic script introduced for the writing of Gothic by Ulfilas and derived by him from Greek uncials with the addition of some Latin and some invented letters.

10. (usually lowercase) barbarous or crude.

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noun

1. the arts and crafts of the Gothic period.

2. the extinct Germanic language of the Goths, preserved especially in the 4th-century translation by Ulfilas of the Bible. Goth, Goth.

3. (often lowercase) a story, play, film, or other work in the gothic style.

4. (sometimes lowercase) black letter.

5. (sometimes lowercase) a square-cut printing type without serifs or hairlines.

Gothic British  

/ ˈɡɒθɪk /

adjective

1. denoting, relating to, or resembling the style of architecture that was used in W Europe from the 12th to the 16th centuries, characterized by the lancet arch, the ribbed vault, and the flying buttress See also Gothic Revival

2. of or relating to the style of sculpture, painting, or other arts as practised in W Europe from the 12th to the 16th centuries

3. When used of modern literature, films, etc, sometimes spelt: Gothick.  (sometimes not capital) of or relating to a literary style characterized by gloom, the grotesque, and the supernatural, popular esp in the late 18th century

4. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Goths or their language

5. (sometimes not capital) primitive and barbarous in style, behaviour, etc

6. of or relating to the Middle Ages

7. another word for Goth

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noun

1. Gothic architecture or art

2. the extinct language of the ancient Goths, known mainly from fragments of a translation of the Bible made in the 4th century by Bishop Wulfila See also East Germanic

3. Also called (esp Brit): black letter.  the family of heavy script typefaces

4. another word for Goth

Gothic Cultural  

1. In European architecture, the dominant style during the late Middle Ages, characterized by slender towers, pointed arch es, soaring ceilings, and flying buttress es. Many great cathedrals (see also cathedral), including Chartres and Notre Dame de Paris, were built in this style.

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Other Word Forms

• Gothically adverb
• Gothicity noun
• Gothicness noun
• non-Gothic adjective
• post-Gothic adjective
• pre-Gothic adjective
• pseudo-Gothic adjective
• unGothic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Gothic

First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin Gothicus “of, pertaining to the Goths”; Goth, -ic

Explanation

The adjective gothic describes something that is characterized by mystery, horror, and gloom — especially in literature. Gothic literature combines the genres of romance and horror. Some famous writers of Gothic fiction include Charlotte Bronte, Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe. Nowadays, though, if you refer to someone as "goth," you are not saying they write a good ghost story; you are commenting on their pale makeup, black fingernail polish and Victorian fashion. Gothic can also describe something barbaric, rude, and unenlightened as if from medieval times. This use of the word is usually capitalized. The word is from the Goths, a Germanic people who invaded the Roman Empire.

Example Sentences

In the 1920s and 30s the Marine Drive corniche, with its Art Deco buildings was constructed, birthing a uniquely modern architectural style that departed from the earlier Victorian Gothic character.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The notice appears on the description of Cardiff University's English Literature module Gothic Fiction: The Victorians, which examines texts from the 19th Century.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale star in the actor-director’s confused, semi-satirical film that sets its Gothic story in 1930s Chicago.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

One is the dense, dialect-heavy Gothic novel, 300-plus pages of exposition told second- or even thirdhand.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2026

His intense fascination with the straight lines of Gothic architecture may also have contributed to the ultra-simple structures of his Gymnopedies and Gnossiennes of the following year.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• eerie
• grotesque