chinoiserie

American  

[sheen-wah-zuh-ree, -wah-zuh-ree, shee-nwaz^uh-ree] / ʃinˌwɑ zəˈri, -ˈwɑ zə ri, ʃi nwazəˈri /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

• chinoiseries
  plural

1. a style of ornamentation current chiefly in the 18th century in Europe, characterized by intricate patterns and an extensive use of motifs identified as Chinese.

2. an object decorated in this style or an example of this style.

   The clock was an interesting chinoiserie.

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chinoiserie British  

/ ʃiːnˌwɑːzəˈriː, -ˈwɑːzərɪ /

noun

1. a style of decorative or fine art based on imitations of Chinese motifs

2. an object or objects in this style

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chinoiseries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of chinoiserie

1880–85; < French, equivalent to chinois Chinese + -erie -ery

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chinoiserie chinoiseries

While it doesn’t necessarily resemble traditional chinoiserie, the versatility of this trend allows it to seamlessly adapt to various design styles.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 4, 2023

Duncan also likes to use Brunschwig & Fils’s Xian chinoiserie as an accent pattern on window shades or an armchair, and she suggests pairing it with a geometric design.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 11, 2021

Inside, it was decorated in decadent chinoiserie, with a thirty-foot glass chandelier clutched in the claws of a silvered dragon suspended above the dining table.

From The New Yorker ● Jan. 10, 2020

Naturally, it was none other than Benjamin Franklin, the chief disciple of Confucius and chinoiserie among the Founding Fathers of the United States.

From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2019

Versed in the weird grivoiserie Affected by Verlaine, And charmed by the chinoiserie Of Marinetti's strain, In all its multiplicity He worshipped eccentricity, And found his chief felicity In aping the insane.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, June 7, 1916 by Sir Owen Seaman

Acton talked a great deal about his chinoiseries; he knew a good deal about porcelain and bric-a-brac.

From The Europeans by Henry James

“There are treasures behind these locked doors, brocades, old jewels, unframed pictures, bronzes, chinoiseries, Japoneries.”

From The Arrow of Gold A Story Between Two Notes by Joseph Conrad

His designs were many of them made by Johann Zick of Coblenz, others by Jean Baptiste Le Prince, chinoiseries, and shepherd games.

From Intarsia and Marquetry by F. Hamilton (Frederick Hamilton) Jackson

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