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Orientalism

American  
[awr-ee-en-tl-iz-uhm, ohr-] / ˌɔr iˈɛn tlˌɪz əm, ˌoʊr- /

noun

(often lowercase)
  1. a peculiarity or idiosyncrasy of the peoples of Asia, especially the East.

  2. the character or characteristics of the peoples of Asia, especially the East.

  3. the knowledge and study of Asian, especially Eastern languages, literature, etc.


Orientalism British  
/ ˌɔːrɪˈɛntəˌlɪzəm /

noun

  1. knowledge of or devotion to the Orient

  2. an Oriental quality, style, or trait

"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

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of Orientalism

First recorded in 1760–70; oriental + -ism

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.

Even some Qataris who welcome criticism as an invitation for improvement say that they have been dismayed by the media coverage, which they believe is underpinned by prejudices based in racism, Orientalism and Islamophobia.

From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2022

As you were writing the screenplay and also working on the production, say in the design and casting, were you concerned about issues of cultural appropriation or what people would call Orientalism?

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 25, 2022

He’s this manufactured idea of Asian-ness, and part of that conversation about Orientalism is how things like tea and all these things that we have that we associate with certain cultures.

From The Verge • Mar. 9, 2022

Mena Mark Hanna, the academy’s dean, told me that one class had been discussing motifs of Orientalism and degeneration in Schoenberg’s textbook “Harmonielehre.”

From The New Yorker • May 15, 2017

You who live in America do not have to consider or define the differences between Occidentalism and Orientalism.

From The Note-Book of an Attaché Seven Months in the War Zone by Wood, Eric Fisher

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