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 (romanticism ).

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

5. classical scholarship or learning.

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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

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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.

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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

"It was not elaborate like Victorian Gothic design that preceded it, and came with a classicism and simplicity that has survived the test of time," he said.

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2025

Unplanned, mismatched buildings sprout like fungus among the grid of its streets, whose orderly classicism is often disrupted by tectonically induced hills.

From New York Times • Mar. 14, 2024

On the other hand, the prospect of a revitalizing contemporary design through classicism is not exactly novel.

From Slate • Aug. 21, 2023

Everett was showily classical, but Lincoln’s classicism purrs powerfully under the hood.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Related Words

• grandeur