classical

[ klas-i-kuhl ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Greek and Roman antiquity:

   classical literature;

   classical languages.

2. conforming to ancient Greek and Roman models in literature or art, or to later systems modeled upon them.
3. marked by classicism:

   classical simplicity.

4. Music.
   1. of, relating to, or constituting the formally and artistically more sophisticated and enduring types of music, as distinguished from popular and folk music and jazz. Classical music includes symphonies, operas, sonatas, song cycles, and lieder.
   2. of, pertaining to, characterized by, or adhering to the well-ordered, chiefly homophonic musical style of the latter half of the 18th and the early 19th centuries:

      Haydn and Mozart are classical composers.

5. Architecture.
   1. noting or pertaining to the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome, especially the religious and public architecture, characterized by the employment of orders. Compare order ( def 27b ).
   2. noting or pertaining to any of several styles of architecture closely imitating the architecture of ancient Greece or Rome; neoclassic.
   3. noting or pertaining to architectural details or motifs adapted from ancient Greek or Roman models.
   4. (of an architectural design) simple, reposeful, well-proportioned, or symmetrical in a manner suggesting the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome.
6. (often initial capital letter) pertaining to or designating the style of fine arts, especially painting and sculpture, developed in Greece during the 5th and 4th centuries b.c., chiefly characterized by balanced composition, the separation of figures from an architectural background, and the naturalistic rendering of anatomical details, spatial movement, and distribution of weight in a figure. Compare archaic ( def 4 ), Hellenistic ( def 5 ).
7. of or relating to a style of literature and art characterized by conformity to established treatments, taste, or critical standards, and by attention to form with the general effect of regularity, simplicity, balance, proportion, and controlled emotion ( romantic ).
8. pertaining to or versed in the ancient classics:

   a classical scholar.

9. relating to or teaching academic branches of knowledge, as the humanities, general sciences, etc., as distinguished from technical subjects.
10. (of a given field of knowledge) accepted as standard and authoritative, as distinguished from novel or experimental:

    classical physics.

11. classic ( defs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10 ).
12. Ecclesiastical. pertaining to a classis.

noun

1. classical music:

   a jazz pianist who studied classical for years.

classical

/ ˈklæsɪkəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient Greeks and Romans or their civilization, esp in the period of their ascendancy
2. designating, following, or influenced by the art or culture of ancient Greece or Rome

   classical architecture

3. music
   1. of, relating to, or denoting any music or its period of composition marked by stability of form, intellectualism, and restraint Compare romantic
   2. accepted as a standard

      the classical suite

   3. denoting serious art music in general Compare pop 1
4. music of or relating to a style of music composed, esp at Vienna, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This period is marked by the establishment, esp by Haydn and Mozart, of sonata form
5. denoting or relating to a style in any of the arts characterized by emotional restraint and conservatism See classicism

   a classical style of painting

6. well versed in the art and literature of ancient Greece and Rome
7. (of an education) based on the humanities and the study of Latin and Greek
8. physics
   1. not involving the quantum theory or the theory of relativity

      classical mechanics

   2. obeying the laws of Newtonian mechanics or 19th-century physics

      a classical gas

9. another word for classic classic
10. (of a logical or mathematical system) according with the law of excluded middle, so that every statement is known to be either true or false even if it is not known which

Derived Forms

• ˈclassically, adverb
• ˌclassiˈcality, noun

Other Words From

• classi·cali·ty classi·cal·ness noun
• classi·cal·ly adverb
• anti·classi·cal adjective
• anti·classi·cal·ly adverb
• anti·classi·cal·ness noun
• hyper·classi·cal adjective
• hyper·classi·cali·ty noun
• nonclas·si·cali·ty noun
• pre·classi·cal adjective
• pre·classi·cal·ly adverb
• pro·classi·cal adjective
• quasi-classi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of classical¹

First recorded in 1580–90; classic + -al ¹

Example Sentences

“When my father, Carmine, died, I lost a classical composer I used to collaborate with since I began directing plays in college,” Coppola says via email.

From Los Angeles Times

He wanted a Polish classical composer for “Dracula” and approached Witold Lutosławski — who told Coppola it would take him five years to compose the amount of score required.

From Los Angeles Times

“Still in need of a ‘classical’-type composer,” Coppola approached the American maestro John Adams, “who was kind and receptive but not really interested in composing new music for me.”

From Los Angeles Times

Coppola specifically requested a classical love theme, “but geometric,” which Golijov interpreted as “an architectural theme that is just four notes, and then you can do whatever you want.”

From Los Angeles Times

Toward the end of every year, our critics share their thoughts on the best film, television, pop music, classical music, books, art, dance, theater, video games, comedy and so much more.

From New York Times

Related Words

• classic
• elegant
• understated