Elizabethan

[ ih-liz-uh-bee-thuhn, -beth-uhn ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the reign of Elizabeth I, queen of England, or to her times:

   Elizabethan diplomacy; Elizabethan music.

2. noting or pertaining to an English Renaissance style of architecture of the reign of Elizabeth I characterized by fantastic sculptured or molded ornament of German or Flemish origin, symmetrical layouts, and an emphasis on domestic architecture. Compare Jacobean ( def 2 ).

noun

1. an English person who lived during the Elizabethan period, especially a poet or dramatist.

Elizabethan

/ ɪˌlɪzəˈbiːθən /

adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or relating to England or its culture in the age of Elizabeth I or to the United Kingdom or its culture in the age of Elizabeth II
2. of, relating to, or designating a style of architecture used in England during the reign of Elizabeth I, characterized by moulded and sculptured ornament based on German and Flemish models

noun

1. a person who lived in England during the reign of Elizabeth I

Other Words From

• an·ti-E·liz·a·be·than adjective noun
• half-E·liz·a·be·than adjective
• post-E·liz·a·be·than adjective noun
• pro-E·liz·a·be·than adjective noun
• pseu·do-E·liz·a·be·than adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Elizabethan¹

First recorded in 1810–20; Elizabeth + -an

Example Sentences

Shakespeare, McNeal posits, did something more radical than adapt “King Leir,” an anonymous Elizabethan play that he may have acted in.

From Los Angeles Times

And the bloody melodrama of history is indulged with the malevolent glee that made Marlowe’s “Tamburlaine the Great” Elizabethan box office gold.

From Los Angeles Times

“When George comes back, he’s haute fashion, beyond fashion. All the other boys are wearing a mishmash of Elizabethan or early Jacobean,” says Symons.

From Los Angeles Times

Like many theater companies, Oregon Shakespeare has faced struggles since the pandemic, but “it’s really incredible ... one of the best and biggest Elizabethan theaters in the world and two other theaters.”

From Los Angeles Times

And this Orlando is played by the protean writer and performer Taylor Mac, who delivers the line while cutting a resplendent androgynous figure in shiny red boots and white, vaguely Elizabethan garb.

From New York Times