Pre-Raphaelite

American  

[pree-raf-ee-uh-lahyt, -rey-fee-] / priˈræf i əˌlaɪt, -ˈreɪ fi- /

noun

1. any of a group of English artists Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood formed in 1848, and including Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who aimed to revive the style and spirit of the Italian artists before the time of Raphael.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Pre-Raphaelites.

Pre-Raphaelite British  

/ ˌpriːˈræfəlaɪt /

noun

1. a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, an association of British painters and writers including Rossetti, Holman Hunt, and Millais, founded in 1848 to combat the shallow conventionalism of academic painting and revive the fidelity to nature and the vivid realistic colour that they considered typical of Italian painting before Raphael

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adjective

1. of, in the manner of, or relating to Pre-Raphaelite painting and painters

Other Word Forms

• Pre-Raphaelitism noun

Etymology

Origin of Pre-Raphaelite

First recorded in 1840–50; pre- + Raphael + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

I suppose the thing that I indulge myself most in is a really good Pre-Raphaelite painting or really good artwork.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 10, 2025

The building, home to the largest public Pre-Raphaelite collection in the world, closed in 2020 for building work, but partially reopened in 2022 for the Commonwealth Games.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2023

Yet Boyce’s attempt to involve more people in the curatorial process was also viewed as censorship of a beloved Pre-Raphaelite painting and sparked national outrage.

From New York Times • May 13, 2022

One of his personal favorites was “1915: A Pre-Raphaelite Ending, London,” in which the widow of 19th century artist and manufacturer William Morris addresses her middle-aged, unmarried daughter.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 1, 2022

Now he saw that the girl was almost a young woman, poised and imperious, quite the little Pre-Raphaelite princess with her bangles and tresses, her painted nails and velvet choker.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan