Victorian
[ vik-tawr-ee-uhn, -tohr- ]
/ vɪkˈtɔr i ən, -ˈtoʊr- /
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adjective
of or relating to Queen Victoria or the period of her reign: Victorian poets.
having the characteristics usually attributed to the Victorians, especially prudishness and observance of the conventionalities.
Architecture.
- 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.
- 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.
noun
a person who lived during the Victorian period.
a house in or imitative of the Victorian style.
OTHER WORDS FOR Victorian
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Origin of Victorian
First recorded in 1870–75; Victori(a) + -an
OTHER WORDS FROM Victorian
post-Vic·to·ri·an, adjectivepre-Vic·to·ri·an, adjectivepseu·do-Vic·to·ri·an, adjective, nounun-Vic·to·ri·an, adjectiveWords nearby Victorian
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use Victorian in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for Victorian
Victorian
/ (vɪkˈtɔːrɪən) /
adjective
of, relating to, or characteristic of Queen Victoria or the period of her reign
exhibiting the characteristics popularly attributed to the Victorians, esp prudery, bigotry, or hypocrisyCompare Victorian values
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
of or relating to Victoria (the state or any of the cities)
noun
a person who lived during the reign of Queen Victoria
an inhabitant of Victoria (the state or any of the cities)
Derived forms of Victorian
Victorianism, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for Victorian
Victorian
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.