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Showing results for Elizabethan. Search instead for elizabethan age.

Elizabethan

American  
[ih-liz-uh-bee-thuhn, -beth-uhn] / ɪˌlɪz əˈbi θən, -ˈbɛθ ən /

adjective

  1. of or relating to the reign of Elizabeth I, queen of England, or to her times.

    Elizabethan diplomacy; Elizabethan music.

  2. 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

  1. an English person who lived during the Elizabethan period, especially a poet or dramatist.

Elizabethan British  
/ ɪˌlɪzəˈbiːθən /

adjective

  1. 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

  2. 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

"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

noun

  1. a person who lived in England during the reign of Elizabeth I

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of Elizabethan

First recorded in 1810–20; Elizabeth + -an

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.

See Examples For:

Today many of us are as likely to be disorientated by his fondness for folklore and myth, his assumptions about religion and social order, and his immersion in the conventions of Elizabethan and Jacobean theater.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 22, 2026

He said the attraction "wouldn't have happened" had the Elizabethan house not provided an "anchor" for the wider grounds.

From BBC Apr. 10, 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

As Elizabethan folk songs replaced Aldous' voice, Francis took a chrysanthemum and held it to Matthew's nose before scattering its petals across the sheepskin rug.

From Salon Apr. 19, 2025

There is no translation for this in classical Latin or Elizabethan English.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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