Greek Revival

American  

noun

1. a style of architecture, furnishings, and decoration prevalent in the U.S. and in parts of Europe in the first half of the 19th century, characterized by a more or less close imitation of ancient Greek designs and ornamented motifs.

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Greek Revival British  

noun

1. (modifier) denoting, relating to, or having the style of architecture used in Western Europe in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, based upon ancient Greek classical examples

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Other Word Forms

• Greek Revivalism noun
• Greek Revivalist noun

Example Sentences

The earthquake also severely damaged the city’s old Greek Revival style courthouse, built in the late 1800s, breaking a column and collapsing part of the jail.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2025

Commissioned by Federal Hall, the 45-minute site-specific performance, offered free of charge in the hall’s grand Greek Revival rotunda, is both a pageant-style survey of significant events at the site and an informed critique.

From New York Times • Jun. 30, 2023

Cantrell made the announcement, heralded by a brass band, at Gallier Hall, a 19th-century Greek Revival building that once was the seat of city government.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 30, 2023

Hanish’s temple was a Greek Revival building that still stands in Arlington Heights.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2022

It would have been a perfect opportunity for a lesson on the relationship between neoclassical and Greek Revival styles of architecture; alas, there was no time.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood