Elizabethan
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the reign of Elizabeth I, queen of England, or to her times.
Elizabethan diplomacy; Elizabethan music.
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noting or pertaining to an English Renaissance style of architecture of the reign of Elizabeth I characterized by fantastic sculptured or molded ornament of German or Flemish origin, symmetrical layouts, and an emphasis on domestic architecture.
noun
adjective
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of, characteristic of, or relating to England or its culture in the age of Elizabeth I or to the United Kingdom or its culture in the age of Elizabeth II
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of, relating to, or designating a style of architecture used in England during the reign of Elizabeth I, characterized by moulded and sculptured ornament based on German and Flemish models
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Elizabethan
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.
In the series, the Elizabethan manor house is the residence of TV presenter Declan O'Hara, played by Aidan Turner.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Izzard, who has a background as a street performer, feels a kinship with Elizabethan players, who like stand-up comics, maintained a lively rapport with their audience.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2026
Burghley House, an Elizabethan mansion near Peterborough, lies on the border between Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.
From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025
The instrumental consort—three viols, two violins, harpsichord and lute/theorbo—offered an invigorating collection of Elizabethan and Jacobean hits by such contemporaneous composers as William Brade, William Lawes, John Dowland and Anthony Holborne.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025
The house was indeed Elizabethan, with wooden panels along the corridors, ornate chandeliers, and oil paintings of old bearded men in tunics and ruffs.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
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.
