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

Derived Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of Victorian

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

Explanation

Someone who's victorian is particularly prudish or prissy. Your victorian math teacher might demand complete silence and expect to be addressed as "Sir." When you describe someone as victorian, you mean that the person has an old fashioned, uptight idea of how others should speak and behave. You'll often see the adjective spelled with a capital V, since it comes from the other meaning of the word, "from the time period during the reign of Britain's Queen Victoria." Ever since the mid-1930's, people have described overly proper acquaintances as victorian, meaning that they seem like they're living in the nineteenth century.

Example Sentences

The building is Victorian and conditions are basic, but for a high-profile prisoner who needs separation from the general population and a safe, stable environment, Dumfries is the obvious fit.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

The Rodgers’ elegant Victorian Craftsman measures just over 5,300 square feet—just over half the size of Aaron’s enormous 10,500-square-foot Wisconsin abode, which sits at the heart of a leafy 5-acre parcel.

From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026

Network Rail has called the Victorian tunnel one of the most hostile environments on the UK rail network, where moisture, dripping saltwater and diesel soot accelerate wear on equipment.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Fraudsters that use promises of love and companionship to cheat the lonely is a crime as old as Victorian novels.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

It's a ceramic floor in an old Victorian kitchen in Chicago in February, and I'm sitting on an oak chair wearing a damp towel.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements