Meiji
Americannoun
noun
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Japanese history the reign of Emperor Mutsuhito (1867–1912), during which Japan began a rapid process of Westernization, industrialization, and expansion in foreign affairs
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the throne name of Mutsuhito (ˌmuːtsʊˈhiːtəʊ). 1852–1912, emperor of Japan (1867–1912)
Etymology
Origin of Meiji
1870–75; < Japanese meiji, earlier meidi enlightened peace < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese míng bright + zhì pacify
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.
This gap in understanding led researchers at Kyoto University and Meiji University to investigate whether supernova remnants might hold the missing clues.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 8, 2025
Twice before in modern history—the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and again the long boom after World War II—Japan has achieved rapid transformations and almost-miraculous levels of growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025
Considering the Meiji period was when the samurai became obsolete, the potential for social commentary mixed in with high-stakes combat seems pretty high.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2025
Last November, a 65-year-old American tourist was arrested on suspicion of scrawling graffiti onto a wooden gate at the Meiji Jingu shrine in Tokyo.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2025
Moreover, gold had appreciated so that its value in terms of silver had exactly doubled during the first thirty years of the Meiji era.
From A History of the Japanese People From the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era by Brinkley, F. (Frank)
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.
