Proustian

adjective

Proust·​ian ˈprü-stē-ən How to pronounce Proustian (audio)
: of, relating to, suggestive of, or associated with Marcel Proust or his writings: such as
a
: marked by a complex, highly detailed style
In spite of its Proustian sentences and its surrealist feints, Krasznahorkai's novel is in fact a rather elementary tale.Robert Boyers
… as she described the mid-20th-century Schenectady city-parks tennis scene in Proustian detail, the hours flew by like anvils.Charles Leerhsen
b
: relating to or evoking the recall of a forgotten memory
… there is something Proustian about the tea sandwich. For some people, it evokes warm memories of church socials, showers, Mom's bridge-club luncheons, and similar white-glove occasions.Evelyn Battaglia
… Terry had already started a fire using several cords of dried hickory, whose smell can induce Proustian reveries in southerners everywhere.Pat Conroy

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The author of a previous book on urban foraging that received the M.F.K. Fisher Book Prize, Chin writes with a Proustian flourish about scrumptious foodscapes, and her new book — a valentine to four generations of her Asian American ancestors — plays to her strengths. Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023 And then there are those cherry cordials, my Proustian cookie. Reggie Nadelson, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Proustian.' 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

1923, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Proustian was in 1923

Dictionary Entries Near Proustian

Cite this Entry

“Proustian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Proustian. Accessed 8 Jun. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!