Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

victorian

 - 4 dictionary results
victorian
Free tips and advice on tin ceilings.
www.life123.com/home

Vic⋅to⋅ri⋅an

  [vik-tawr-ee-uhn, -tohr-]
Use victorian in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of or pertaining to Queen Victoria or the period of her reign: Victorian poets.
2. having the characteristics usually attributed to the Victorians, esp. prudishness and observance of the conventionalities.
3. Architecture.
a. 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.
b. noting or pertaining to the massive, elaborate work characteristic esp. 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
4. a person who lived during the Victorian period.
5. a house in or imitative of the Victorian style.
Origin:
1870–75; Victori(a) + -an

Synonyms:
2. prudish, conventional, priggish, straightlaced, smug, prim, narrow.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To victorian
victorian
Free tips and advice on tin ceilings.
www.life123.com/home
Vic·to·ri·an   (vĭk-tôr'ē-ən, -tōr'-)   
adj.  

  1. Of, relating to, or belonging to the period of the reign of Queen Victoria: a Victorian novel.

  2. Relating to or displaying the standards or ideals of morality regarded as characteristic of the time of Queen Victoria: Victorian manners.

  3. Being in the highly ornamented, massive style of architecture, decor, and furnishings popular in 19th-century England.

n.  A person belonging to or exhibiting characteristics typical of the Victorian period.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

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 American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

Victorian  (adj.)
1839, "belonging to or typical of the reign of Queen Victoria of Great Britain" (1837-1901). Fig. sense of "typified by prudish or outdated attitudes" is attested by 1934. The noun meaning "a person from or typical of Victorian times" is from 1876. The fem. proper name is from L., lit. "victory." The Victoria cross is a decoration founded 1856 by Queen Victoria.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see victorian on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way