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)

plural

chinoiseries

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  

/ -ˈwɑːzərɪ, ʃiːnˌwɑːzəˈriː /

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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Etymology

Origin of chinoiserie

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

Example Sentences

Stripes pair well with fluid motifs like florals and chinoiserie, but they also work with busy geometric patterns.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 2, 2021

One of Duncan’s favorite chinoiserie patterns, Brighton Pavilion by Schumacher, is a floral and bird motif that she prefers as a wallpaper in dining rooms and bedrooms.

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

It was refurbished by the British interior designer Anouska Hempel with plush chinoiserie furnishings and décor that gives a big nod to the neighborhood’s distant past.

From New York Times • Feb. 9, 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 Seaman, Owen, Sir