rococo

American  

[ruh-koh-koh, roh-kuh-koh] / rəˈkoʊ koʊ, ˌroʊ kəˈkoʊ /

noun

1. a style of architecture and decoration, originating in France about 1720, evolved from Baroque types and distinguished by its elegant refinement in using different materials for a delicate overall effect and by its ornament of shellwork, foliage, etc.

2. a homophonic musical style of the middle 18th century, marked by a generally superficial elegance and charm and by the use of elaborate ornamentation and stereotyped devices.

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adjective

1. (initial capital letter)

   1. noting or pertaining to a style of painting developed simultaneously with the rococo in architecture and decoration, characterized chiefly by smallness of scale, delicacy of color, freedom of brushwork, and the selection of playful subjects as thematic material.

   2. designating a corresponding style of sculpture, chiefly characterized by diminutiveness of Baroque forms and playfulness of theme.

2. of, pertaining to, in the manner of, or suggested by rococo architecture, decoration, or music or the general atmosphere and spirit of the rococo.

   rococo charm.

3. ornate or florid in speech, literary style, etc.

rococo British  

/ rəˈkəʊkəʊ /

noun

1. a style of architecture and decoration that originated in France in the early 18th century, characterized by elaborate but graceful, light, ornamentation, often containing asymmetrical motifs

2. an 18th-century style of music characterized by petite prettiness, a decline in the use of counterpoint, and extreme use of ornamentation

3. any florid or excessively ornamental style

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adjective

1. denoting, being in, or relating to the rococo

2. florid or excessively elaborate

rococo Cultural  

1. A style of baroque art and architecture popular in Europe during the eighteenth century, characterized by flowing lines and elaborate decoration.

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Etymology

Origin of rococo

First recorded in 1830–40; from French, akin to rocaille “use of pebbles and shells in ornamental work; pebble-work”; see origin at rocaille

Explanation

Rococo describes a very ornate style originating in Europe. If you love tons of decoration and fancy details, then you'll love the rococo style of architecture and music. Modern design is all simplicity: clean lines and no clutter. Rococo design — which came and went in Europe in the 1700s — is the opposite: it explodes with detail, ornament, patterns, and decoration. If something other than an actual work of design or music is described as rococo, it means wildly detailed, to the point of excess. They sat me next to Diana, who told me the whole rococo story of her European vacation. An hour had passed before she even got to the part about getting on the plane.

Example Sentences

The mise en scène is sumptuously prepared with flourishes of rococo drollery.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

The palazzo is filled with ornate wall coverings and moldings, rococo furniture and artworks, and marble floors with intricately detailed inlays.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

Barely recognizable from “Welcome to Flatch” is Holmes as Carmen’s roommate Hailee, a rococo ice cream sundae of a person, talking a mile a minute, sweet and dim; as on “Flatch,” she is quite wonderful.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2025

This was on a recent morning in a rococo hotel room, just west of Madison Square Park.

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2024

He found the Chinese Palm Court, complete with not only live palm trees but high white-plastered rococo ceilings, marble columns, delicate hand-painted Asian wall murals, and Chippendale furniture.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• ornate