classicism

[ klas-uh-siz-uh m ]

/ ˈklæs əˌsɪz əm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR classicism ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the principles or styles characteristic of the literature and art of ancient Greece and Rome.

adherence to such principles.

the classical style in literature and art, or adherence to its principles (contrasted with romanticism).Compare classical(def 7).

a Greek or Latin idiom or form, especially one used in some other language.

classical scholarship or learning.

Nearby words

classical probability, classical sanskrit, classical school, classicalism, classically, classicism, classicist, classicistic, classicize, classics, classification

Also clas·si·cal·ism

[klas-i-kuh-liz-uh m] /ˈklæs ɪ kəˌlɪz əm/.

Origin of classicism

First recorded in 1820–30; classic + -ism

Related forms

clas·si·cis·tic

[klas-uh-sis-tik] /ˌklæs əˈsɪs tɪk/, adjectivean·ti·clas·si·cal·ism, nounan·ti·clas·si·cism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for classicism

The spirit of classicism was in the air in the days of Wedgwood.
Chats on Old Earthenware|Arthur Hayden
Despite his erudition, and even what may be called his Ronsardising, he does not aim at the new severity and classicism.
A Short History of French Literature|George Saintsbury
He is valuable as an honest, genial artist, a many-sided and sure-footed man of talent, somewhat inclined to Classicism.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 2 (of 4)|Richard Muther
Epic poetry was held in the highest esteem during the Renaissance and indeed throughout the period of classicism.
A History of Literary Criticism in the Renaissance|Joel Elias Spingarn

But it is not because of the classicism achieved by the pathos of distance that Chopin's special case makes an appeal.
Unicorns|James Huneker

British Dictionary definitions for classicism

classicism

classicalism (ˈklæsɪkəˌlɪzəm)

/ (ˈklæsɪˌsɪzəm) /

noun

a style based on the study of Greek and Roman models, characterized by emotional restraint and regularity of form, associated esp with the 18th century in Europe; the antithesis of romanticismCompare neoclassicism

knowledge or study of the culture of ancient Greece and Rome

a Greek or Latin form or expression
an expression in a modern language, such as English, that is modelled on a Greek or Latin form

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

Culture definitions for classicism

classicism

An approach to aesthetics that favors restraint, rationality, and the use of strict forms in literature, painting, architecture, and other arts. It flourished in ancient Greece and Rome, and throughout Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Classicists often derived their models from the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Note

Classicism is sometimes considered the opposite of romanticism.