the style or idiom of Attic Greek occurring in another dialect or language.
attachment to Athens or to the style, customs, etc., of the Athenians.
concise and elegant expression, diction, or the like.
the idiom or character of the Attic dialect of Ancient Greek, esp in the Hellenistic period
an elegant, simple, and clear expression
First recorded in 1605–15, atticism is from the Greek word Attikismós a siding with Athens, an Attic expression. See Attic, -ism
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It is certain," said Phellion, "that the leading article seems to me to be stamped with vigor joined to an atticism which we may seek in vain in the columns of the other public prints."
From The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Balzac, Honoré de
These censures can never be just upon a poet, whose style has always been allowed to be perfectly attick, and of an atticism which made him extremely delightful to the lovers of the Athenian taste.
From The Works of Samuel Johnson, Volume 05 Miscellaneous Pieces by Johnson, Samuel
And even in Athens the burden of Atticism, if we may say so, seems to have become too great to bear.
From The History of Roman Literature From the earliest period to the death of Marcus Aurelius by Cruttwell, Charles Thomas
We need not accept literally Pliny’s praises of his Atticism, and of the grace and sweetness of his Greek epigrams.
From Roman Society from Nero to Marcus Aurelius by Dill, Samuel
It was not till Caesar crossed the Rubicon in 49, after Hortensius had died, and Cicero had been pushed aside as a futile statesman, that Atticism gained predominance in the schools.
From Vergil A Biography by Frank, Tenney
Those, therefore, who can accommodate themselves to the nice and critical ears of an Athenian audience, are the only persons who should pretend to Atticism.
From Cicero's Brutus or History of Famous Orators; also His Orator, or Accomplished Speaker. by Jones, E.
It seems, moreover, to have been a departure from the primitive temper of Atticism, which tended both to cantonal residence and rural occupation.
From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 01 by Rudd, John
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.
