bespoke

adjective

be·​spoke bi-ˈspōk 

bē-

variants or less commonly bespoken

bi-ˈspō-kən 

bē-

1

a

: custom-made

a bespoke suit

b

: dealing in or producing custom-made articles

a bespoke tailor

2

dialect : engaged

Did you know?

In the English language of yore, the verb bespeak had various meanings, including “to speak,” “to accuse,” and “to complain.” In the 16th century, bespeak acquired another meaning: “to order or arrange in advance.” It is from that sense that we get the adjective bespoke, referring to clothes and other things that are ordered before they are made. Bespoke has enjoyed a spike in usage in recent years, perhaps due to consumer trends that champion all things artisanal over those that are prefab.

Synonyms

• custom
• custom-made
• custom-tailored
• customized
• made-to-order
• tailor-made
• tailored

Examples of bespoke in a Sentence

a wealthy man who can easily afford bespoke suits

Recent Examples on the Web

The bespoke gown was estimated to cost $25,000 and was gifted to Taylor by the designer. —Jessica Booth, Peoplemag, 8 June 2024

Brand Your Love Story: Some couples are going above and beyond to personalize their weddings, with bespoke party favors and custom experiences for guests. —Valeriya Safronova, New York Times, 31 May 2024

Wall coverings include restored original wainscoting and bespoke Ralph Lauren fabrics. —David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 30 May 2024

This was followed by customizing generative AI models with prompt engineering (25%), training or fine-tuning bespoke generative AI models (21%), or using standalone tools like ChatGPT or Gemini (19%). —John Kell, Fortune, 29 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

past participle of bespeak

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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