Victorian

1 of 4

adjective (1)

Vic·​to·​ri·​an vik-ˈtȯr-ē-ən How to pronounce Victorian (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the reign of Queen Victoria of England or the art, letters, or tastes of her time
2
: typical of the moral standards, attitudes, or conduct of the age of Victoria especially when considered stuffy, prudish, or hypocritical

Victorian

2 of 4

noun (1)

1
: a person living during Queen Victoria's reign
especially : a representative figure of that time
2
: a typically large and ornate house built during Queen Victoria's reign

Victorian

3 of 4

adjective (2)

: of or relating to Victoria
It looks very much like only one Victorian team will have a chance to push into the top four …Roy Ward

Victorian

4 of 4

noun (2)

plural Victorians
: a native or inhabitant of Victoria

Examples of Victorian in a Sentence

Adjective (1) My parents have very Victorian attitudes when it comes to sex. a conservative Christian sect with a code of sexual morality that is often seen as quaintly Victorian by outsiders
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The Pfister is known for its Victorian art collection, soaring ceilings and majestic seventh-floor ballroom. Alison Dirr, Journal Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2024 Bay View, located at the tip of the Mitten that's known for its Victorian homes, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Detroit Free Press, 13 Mar. 2024 As Bella Baxter, the actress jaunts around Victorian London with the brain of an unborn child. Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Before the dot-com boom, the neighborhoods of Alamo Square and Hayes Valley, with their pastel Victorian row houses, were associated with staid domesticity. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Downtown, Front Street, and Clinch Park are some of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city, offering historic Victorian homes and easy walking access to the best restaurants and shops. Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2024 Set off your front door with a wall-mount mailbox loaded with details that looks straight out of Victorian London. Samantha S. Thorpe, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2024 Its fantastical re-creations of Victorian London, Lisbon, Alexandria and Paris meshed with the progression of lead character Bella Baxter’s journey, informing and delighting each step of the way. Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 When designing balloon sleeves and ruffled collars for Bella, costume designer Holly Waddington drew on the 1960s space-age fashion of Paco Rabanne, Pierre Cardin, and André Courrèges, while Bella’s white Victorian boots featured a toe cutout partially inspired by Courrèges futuristic aesthetic. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024
Noun
Instead of the dour, moralistic tales that were considered appropriate nursery fare at the time, Dodgson served up absurdist takes on Victorian England’s polite tea parties, its eccentric dons, its gossipy news stories, its popular poems, songs, dances, and parlor games. Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024 The restaurant is housed in an 1894 Victorian on a property that features a chef’s garden. Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 This Queen Anne Victorian from 1894 has a welcoming porch, a three-story turret, and a lovely perennial garden. Everett Potter, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Brande Victorian contributed to this report. Feb. 22, 11 a.m. Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2024 Twin Inns Victorian From the archives heads up to Carlsbad today for this photo of the Twin Inns. U-T Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2024 Also, surreal ways of visualizing Victorian Europe through the eyes of Bella Baxter, Stone’s pregnant suicide whom a mad scientist reanimates with her infant’s brain. Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024 Officers were called just after 8 a.m. for reports of a man lying partially on a roadway at the intersection of 32nd Street and Victorian Alley. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 12 Feb. 2024 The Victorian Ladies’ Detective Collective, by Patricia Milton. Celia Wren, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Victorian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective (2)

circa 1865, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1862, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Victorian was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near Victorian

Cite this Entry

“Victorian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Victorian. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Victorian

adjective
Vic·​to·​ri·​an
vik-ˈtōr-ē-ən,
-ˈtȯr-
: of, relating to, or typical of the reign of Queen Victoria of England or of the literature, art, and tastes of her time
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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