sartorial
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to tailors or their trade.
sartorial workmanship.
-
of or relating to clothing or style or manner of dress.
sartorial splendor.
-
Anatomy. pertaining to the sartorius.
adjective
-
of or relating to a tailor or to tailoring
-
anatomy of or relating to the sartorius
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sartorial
First recorded in 1815–25; from Late Latin sartor “tailor” + -ial
Explanation
If it's the day before a big event and you have no idea what to wear and nothing in your closet is going to cut it, you are facing a sartorial dilemma — one that pertains to clothing, fashion, or dressing. Sartorial comes from the Modern Latin word sartor which means "tailor," literally "one who patches and mends." In English the adjectives sartorial and sartorially are used to refer to any matter pertaining to the consideration of clothing or fashion. The root word sartor has also made its way into the field of biology. The sartorius — a muscle in the leg and the longest muscle in the human body — gets its name because it is used when crossing the legs, also known as the “tailor's position."
Vocabulary lists containing sartorial
On Trend: Fashionable Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
30 GRE Words Beginning with "Q" "R" and "S"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
When he went back to one—which most pros consider to be the correct number of gloves—it went so poorly that Rai went back immediately to being a sartorial outlier.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
The billionaire wore Nikes instead of dress shoes, a sartorial nod perhaps to his bid to be the outsider-fighter.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
Calling on the bibs might be the smart sartorial choice once again on Saturday.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026
Iona and Andie are such a perfect mother-daughter match because they have similar personality quirks and sartorial appetites, a genuine family resemblance.
From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026
I thought women were gorgeous no matter what they wore, and I didn’t think they owed anyone an explanation for their sartorial choices.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
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.
