Victorian

American  

[vik-tawr-ee-uhn, -tohr-] / vɪkˈtɔr i ən, -ˈtoʊr- /

adjective

1. of or relating to Queen Victoria or the period of her reign.

   Victorian poets.

2. having the characteristics usually attributed to the Victorians, especially prudishness and observance of the conventionalities.

   Synonyms:

   narrow, prim, smug, priggish, conventional, prudish

3. Architecture.

   1. noting or pertaining to the architecture, furnishings, and decoration of English-speaking countries between c1840 and c1900, characterized by rapid changes of style as a consequence of aesthetic and philosophical controversy, technological innovations, and changes of fashion, by the frequent presence of ostentatious ornament, and by an overall trend from classicism at the start to romanticism and eclecticism at the middle of the period and thence to classicism again, with attempts at stylistic innovation occurring from time to time.

   2. noting or pertaining to the massive, elaborate work characteristic especially of the period c1855–80, derived mainly from the Baroque and Gothic styles and characterized by the presence of heavy carved ornament, elaborate moldings, etc., by the use of strong and generally dark colors, by the frequent use of dark varnished woodwork, by the emphasis on geometrical form rather than on textural effects, and frequently by an effect of harshness.

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noun

1. a person who lived during the Victorian period.

2. a house in or imitative of the Victorian style.

Victorian British  

/ vɪkˈtɔːrɪən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Queen Victoria or the period of her reign

2. exhibiting the characteristics popularly attributed to the Victorians, esp prudery, bigotry, or hypocrisy Compare Victorian values

3. denoting, relating to, or having the style of architecture used in Britain during the reign of Queen Victoria, characterized by massive construction and elaborate ornamentation

4. of or relating to Victoria (the state or any of the cities)

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noun

1. a person who lived during the reign of Queen Victoria

2. an inhabitant of Victoria (the state or any of the cities)

Victorian Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for the time when Victoria was queen of England, from 1837 to 1901. The Victorian period in England is known as a time of industrial progress, colonial expansion, and public fastidiousness in morals. The Victorian period in the United States had many of the same characteristics.

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Other Word Forms

• Victorianism noun
• post-Victorian adjective
• pre-Victorian adjective
• pseudo-Victorian adjective
• un-Victorian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Victorian

First recorded in 1870–75; Victori(a) + -an

Example Sentences

“Whether it was steam trains, riverboats or Victorian towns, he wanted to keep these things alive in the consciousness of guests,” Iwerks says.

From The Wall Street Journal

A beach in south Wales "went global" last month when news spread that 200 Victorian shoes had washed up on its shores.

From BBC

The court wasn't one of those historic rooms with lots of mahogany and Victorian furnishings.

From BBC

"In London, you've got a lasagne. You can dig all the way down to prehistory or you've got very recent Victorian and Edwardian archaeology there as well."

From BBC

Its rooms are set in a row of Victorian townhouses adjacent to the distillery and also run by the distillery owners Jon and Victoria Erasmus.

From The Wall Street Journal