sartorial

adjective

sar·​to·​ri·​al sär-ˈtȯr-ē-əl How to pronounce sartorial (audio)
sər-,
sə-
: of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes
broadly : of or relating to clothes
poor sartorial taste
sartorially adverb

Did you know?

It's easy to uncover the root of sartorial. Just strip off the suffix -ial and you discover the Latin noun sartor, meaning "tailor" (literally, "one who patches or mends"). Sartorial splendor has been the stuff of voguish magazines for years, and even sartor itself has occasionally proven fashionable, as it did in 1843, when Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote of "coats whose memory turns the sartor pale," or in the 1870 title The Sartor, or British journal of cutting, clothing, and fashion. Sartorial has been in style with English speakers since at least 1823.

Examples of sartorial in a Sentence

They accused him of having poor sartorial taste. The wedding party arrived in sartorial splendor.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Color, texture and small details like patterns and sartorial motifs clue the audience further into a character’s interiority. Julia Teti, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025 When Ford began his own namesake brand in 2005, their sartorial relationship blossomed even further. Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025 Being Italian himself, Cavaliere naturally draws on many of the same cultural and sartorial influences that shaped Giorgio Armani’s work. Brett F. Braley-Palko, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025 Rain or shine, just throw on a swing coat and lug-sole boots for instant sartorial success. Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sartorial

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin sartor

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sartorial was in 1823

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Cite this Entry

“Sartorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sartorial. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

sartorial

adjective
sar·​to·​ri·​al sär-ˈtōr-ē-əl How to pronounce sartorial (audio)
-ˈtȯr-
: of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes
sartorially adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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