Byzantine

1 of 2

adjective

Byz·​an·​tine ˈbi-zᵊn-ˌtēn 

ˈbī-,

-ˌtīn;

bə-ˈzan-ˌtēn,

bī-ˈzan- 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient city of Byzantium

Byzantine art

2

architecture : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of architecture developed in the Byzantine Empire especially in the fifth and sixth centuries featuring the dome carried on pendentives over a square and incrustation with marble veneering and with colored mosaics on grounds of gold

3

Christianity : of or relating to the churches using a traditional Greek rite and subject to Eastern (see eastern sense 2) canon law

4

often not capitalized

a

: of, relating to, or characterized by a devious and usually surreptitious manner of operation

a Byzantine power struggle

b

: intricately involved : labyrinthine

rules of Byzantine complexity

Byzantine

2 of 2

noun

: a native or inhabitant of Byzantium

Did you know?

Byzantine, a Word for History Buffs

Today, the city that lies on the Bosporus Strait in Turkey is named Istanbul, but it was once known as Constantinople (a name given to it when it became the capital of the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire), and in ancient times, it was called Byzantium. Its history is exotic—filled with mystics, wars, and political infighting—and over time the word Byzantine (from Late Latin Byzantinus, the name for a native of Byzantium) became synonymous with anything characteristic of the city or empire, from architecture to intrigue. The figurative sense referring to a devious manner of operation first appeared in the late 1930s. It was popularized by frequent use in reference to the Soviet Union, whose secrecy and despotism were equated by Westerners with what went on in the old Byzantine Empire.

Synonyms

Adjective

• baroque
• complex
• complicate
• complicated
• convoluted
• daedal
• elaborate
• intricate
• involute
• involved
• knotty
• labyrinthian
• labyrinthine
• sophisticated
• tangled

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The club and the city of Oakland have navigated a Byzantine series of approvals and environmental impact reports to bring Fisher’s dream of a $12 billion real estate project that includes a ballpark closer to reality. —Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2023

Intricate mosaics, made of tiles each the size of a thumbnail, cover the walls and domed ceiling of the Byzantine-style church. —Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2023

One of Anguissola’s ancestors, according to family tradition, was the Byzantine warlord Galvano Sourdi. —Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2023

But the robust attendance at St. Clement was fleeting, Wojcik said, and on Christmas Day and the Sunday after, the parish priest was disheartened to see the century-old, Byzantine-style church was once again echoing with half-empty pews. —Karen Ann Cullotta, chicagotribune.com, 31 Dec. 2021

The fate of two other Byzantine-era religious monuments became the subject of fierce international debate this summer, when Turkey’s government reopened the world-famous Hagia Sophia—the grand sixth-century church later converted into a mosque and then a museum—to Islamic worship. —Jennifer Hattam, History & Culture, 30 Nov. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1651, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

Byzantine

1 of 2 noun

Byz·​an·​tine ˈbiz-ən-ˌtēn  bə-ˈzan- 

ˈbīz-ən-;

ˈbiz-ən-ˌtīn

: a person born or living in Byzantium or in the Byzantine Empire

Byzantine

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of, relating to, or typical of Byzantium or the Eastern Roman Empire

2

: of or relating to a style of architecture developed in the Byzantine Empire especially in the 5th and 6th centuries characterized by a central dome over a square space and by much use of mosaics