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  • art deco
    art deco
    noun
    a style of decorative art developed originally in the 1920s with a revival in the 1960s, marked chiefly by geometric motifs, curvilinear forms, sharply defined outlines, often bold colors, and the use of synthetic materials, as plastics.
  • Art Deco
    Art Deco
    noun

art deco

American  
Or Art Deco

noun

  1. a style of decorative art developed originally in the 1920s with a revival in the 1960s, marked chiefly by geometric motifs, curvilinear forms, sharply defined outlines, often bold colors, and the use of synthetic materials, as plastics.


Art Deco British  
/ ˈdɛkəʊ /

noun

    1. a style of interior decoration, jewellery, architecture, etc, at its height in the 1930s and characterized by geometrical shapes, stylized natural forms, and symmetrical utilitarian designs adapted to mass production

    2. ( as modifier )

      an Art-Deco carpet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of art deco

1965–70; < French Art Déco, shortened from Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, an exposition of modern decorative and industrial arts held in Paris, France, in 1925

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.

Prices have increased in places like Miramar, Nuevo Vedado and Vedado -- neighborhoods with neoclassical mansions, embassies and art deco jewels.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

More time-travel: Stay at the Tulsa Club, an art deco jewel recently restored to its 1927 glory.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

Even the security guard watching over a small grocery store across the street from the three-story art deco library wears a bulletproof vest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

Down the street, we peeked in on renovations at the art deco Warner Grand Theater, which is approaching its 100th birthday.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2025

Framed in Stygian iron, the magical portal was a set of elevator doors—two panels of silver and black etched with art deco designs.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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