Byzantine
Americanadjective
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of or relating to Byzantium.
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of or relating to the Byzantine Empire.
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noting or pertaining to the architecture of the Byzantine Empire and to architecture influenced by or imitating it: characterized by masonry construction, round arches, impost blocks, low domes on pendentives, the presence of fine, spiky foliage patterns in low relief on stone capitals and moldings, and the use of frescoes, mosaics, and revetments of fine stone to cover whole interiors.
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Fine Arts. pertaining to or designating the style of the fine or decorative arts developed and elaborated in the Byzantine Empire and its provinces: characterized chiefly by an ecclesiastically prescribed iconography, highly formal structure, severe confinement of pictorial space to a shallow depth, and the use of rich, often sumptuous color.
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(sometimes lowercase) complex or intricate.
a deal requiring Byzantine financing.
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(sometimes lowercase) characterized by elaborate scheming and intrigue, especially for the gaining of political power or favor.
Byzantine methods for holding on to his chairmanship.
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of or relating to the Byzantine Church.
noun
adjective
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of, characteristic of, or relating to Byzantium or the Byzantine Empire
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of, relating to, or characterizing the Orthodox Church or its rites and liturgy
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of or relating to the highly coloured stylized form of religious art developed in the Byzantine Empire
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of or relating to the style of architecture developed in the Byzantine Empire, characterized by massive domes with square bases, rounded arches, spires and minarets, and the extensive use of mosaics
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denoting the Medieval Greek spoken in the Byzantine Empire
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(of attitudes, etc) inflexible or complicated
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Byzantine
1590–1600; < Late Latin Bȳzantīnus of Byzantium; see -ine 1
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.
For the past several years, Anderson has focused on documenting the walls and buildings of Sardis' acropolis, which became an important center during the Byzantine period after Roman rule.
From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026
In antiquity, the city of Tyre was at various times Phoenician, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
The fine gold mosaic, executed by northern Italian restorers of Byzantine churches, responds to the light like a living skin.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
In the early 1000s Maria Argyropoulina, a Byzantine emperor’s niece, brought gold forks to Venice for her wedding to the Doge’s son.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2025
The brilliantly colored glass was cargo being carried by a two-masted Byzantine merchant ship around the year 1025.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
