classicism

American  

[klas-uh-siz-uhm] / ˈklæs əˌsɪz əm /

Also classicalism

noun

1. the principles or styles characteristic of the literature and art of ancient Greece and Rome.

2. adherence to such principles.

3. the classical style in literature and art, or adherence to its principles (contrasted with romanticism).

4. a Greek or Latin idiom or form, especially one used in some other language.

5. classical scholarship or learning.

---

classicism British  

/ ˈklæsɪˌsɪzəm, ˈklæsɪkəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. a style based on the study of Greek and Roman models, characterized by emotional restraint and regularity of form, associated esp with the 18th century in Europe; the antithesis of romanticism Compare neoclassicism

2. knowledge or study of the culture of ancient Greece and Rome

3. 1. a Greek or Latin form or expression

   2. an expression in a modern language, such as English, that is modelled on a Greek or Latin form

---

classicism Cultural  

1. An approach to aesthetics that favors restraint, rationality, and the use of strict forms in literature, painting, architecture, and other arts. It flourished in ancient Greece and Rome, and throughout Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Classicists often derived their models from the ancient Greeks and Romans.

---

Discover More

Classicism is sometimes considered the opposite of romanticism.

Other Word Forms

• anticlassicalism noun
• anticlassicism noun
• classicistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of classicism

First recorded in 1820–30; classic + -ism

Example Sentences

But even a mega-firm that typically builds in a futuristic style can form a partnership with a design architect who’s an expert in classicism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

Later in Lucerne, he took master classes with Edwin Fischer, the musician credited by Brendel with having the most enduring influence on him, and teaching him to play passionately within the bounds of classicism.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2025

Designed by a team of architects, it blends elements of classicism with modernity.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2024

“The Great Lillian Hall” is not afraid to embrace its classicism; had it been made in the 1940s, it would have starred Bette Davis.

From New York Times • May 30, 2024

More nuanced and more revealing is Wills’s other remark—that “Everett’s classicism was as much the forerunner of Lincoln’s talk as its foil or contrast.”

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Related Words

• grandeur