bricolage

American  

[bree-kuh-lahzh, brik-uh-] / ˌbri kəˈlɑʒ, ˌbrɪk ə- /

noun

plural

bricolages, bricolage

1. a construction made of whatever materials are at hand; something created from a variety of available things.

2. (in literature) a piece created from diverse resources.

3. (in art) a piece of makeshift handiwork.

4. the use of multiple, diverse research methods.

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bricolage British  

/ ˈbrɪkəˌlɑːʒ, brɪkɔlaʒ /

noun

1. the jumbled effect produced by the close proximity of buildings from different periods and in different architectural styles

2. the deliberate creation of such an effect in certain modern developments

   the post-modernist bricolage of the new shopping centre

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Etymology

Origin of bricolage

First recorded in 1960–65; from French, literally, “do-it-yourself,” from bricoler “to do odd jobs, small chores,” from Middle French bricoler “to zigzag, bounce off,” from Old French bricole “a trifle, bricole ( def. ) ” + -age -age ( def. )

Example Sentences

Farto, better known as Vhils, collected doors in Cairo and elsewhere in the world for a bricolage intended to evoke the archaeological process.

From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025

He appears to have blurted out the overtime policy as part of what the Irish writer Fintan O’Toole aptly describes as “the surreal bricolage of his rally speeches.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2024

It’s the scientific community’s term for bricolage, “when something doesn’t go as planned,” he said.

From New York Times • Jul. 22, 2022

Wright brings his familiar scattershot style to an essentially conventional biopic, his bricolage approach entailing generous dollops of home movies, family photos, archival footage, cheeky animations and talking-head interviews.

From Washington Post • Jun. 15, 2021

Like the album that surrounds it, it is also an ardent act of bricolage.

From The Guardian • Jun. 20, 2020