Sistine
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of Sistine
1860–65; < Italian Sistino, pertaining to Sisto man's name (< Latin Sextus ( Medieval Latin Sixtus ), special use of sextus sixth ); see -ine 1
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.
Walk around the lumbering, top-heavy “Adam,” whose powerful hand echoes Michelangelo’s Sistine ceiling but instead points earthward, and you don’t get a sense of inspired, ideal form, but of matter, growth and transformation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
Michelangelo’s burning resentment of Da Vinci kept him warm at night, and his hostility toward Raphael fueled his years-long dedication to tagging up the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling.
From Salon • May 16, 2026
Highlights include the first painting he completed entirely on his own, as well as tapestries designed for the Sistine Chapel.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
In his early life he was considered to be equal to Leonardo da Vinci, and was commissioned to paint the walls of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Palace in Rome.
From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025
“I’d rather be ambassador to the Vatican,” Father Mulrooney said, shooting his eyebrows so high they bounced against the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
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.
