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

Derived Forms

• Greek Revivalism
  noun
• Greek Revivalist
  adjective
• Greek Revivalist
  noun

Example Sentences

Colleton’s 1820 Greek Revival courthouse is elegant like a wedding cake.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026

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

With its five fireplaces, its interior wooden shutters and its classic Greek Revival staircase carvings, it remains “remarkably unmolested” nearly two centuries after it was built, he said.

From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2024

The Greek Revival style that is common in that area of the Hudson Valley “did not feel authentic to me,” she said.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 21, 2023

He is stunned by the house, a Greek Revival, admiring it for several minutes like a tourist before opening the gate.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri