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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

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.

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

Among the legacies of Orientalism observed by Said was a compulsion to draw invidious distinctions.

From New York Times • Sep. 3, 2021

“Her work goes beyond nationalistic boundaries,” says Sara Raza, founder of a New York-based curatorial studio called Punk Orientalism.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 22, 2021

On the whiteboard behind her in the windowless classroom, she’d written, “Colonialism, Imperialism, Darwinism, Orientalism, Eurocentrism / Anglocentrism.”

From The New Yorker • Jan. 8, 2019

Yet he had undoubtedly lost much, and the measure of his loss was proven in his estimate of the Orientalism of Jeypore.

From From Sea to Sea Letters of Travel by Kipling, Rudyard

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