matryoshka
Britishnoun
Etymology
Origin of matryoshka
C20: from Russian matreshka mother, highly respected lady
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.
Nearby, a group of wooden "matryoshka" dolls, in traditional Russian dress with rosy cheeks, stood on one shelf, gleaming across from brightly painted Soviet tin cars.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2025
Described in the wall text as a “living matryoshka doll,” the collection of eight pieces shown on one model distills the V&R poetics: a powerful idea, a performance-oriented presentation, a sense of wonder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2025
Rubio was given a Russian matryoshka doll while Prokopyev was shown smiling beside the capsule and holding an watermelon which he requested on landing.
From Reuters ● Sep. 27, 2023
Much like nesting matryoshka dolls of diminishing sizes that hide their true numbers from view, the war in Ukraine’s full impact on space activities remains to be seen.
From Scientific American ● Mar. 11, 2022
I carried the matryoshka dolls into the guest bedroom, where Radar was carefully stashing Santas into a dresser.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
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.
