Proustian
adjective
Proust·ian
ˈprü-stē-ən 
: 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
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
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
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
Pat ConroyExamples of Proustian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Others are childhood favorites that continue to serve up Proustian madeleines as adults.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 June 2024
The film takes on Proustian dimensions by using a smoking pipe as the catalyst for the old man’s memories, which come to life in beautiful drawings by animator Kunio Katō.
—Jeremy Fassler, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2024
Marcel Proust is so famous for his evocative writing that any instance in literature in which a memory or feeling is conjured by a sensory trigger is called a Proustian moment.
—Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2023
The effect of this habit is Proustian but its origin is not.
—Joshua Hunt, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2023
There’s something Proustian about the command, which hints at a simpler time.
—Angelica Aboulhosn, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Sep. 2023
Proust Barbie One of the only Barbies referenced that doesn't exist is Proust Barbie, a gag about a hypothetical doll based on French author Marcel Proust that comes after Barbie has a Proustian memory.
—Brendan Morrow, The Week, 24 July 2023
The smell of said box triggers a Proustian sense memory from Barbie of her birth.
—Time, 21 July 2023
The specific scene the director is referencing is when Margot Robbie’s Barbie steps inside her plastic packaging and makes a remark that the familiar smell is a Proustian memory.
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 July 2023
Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 June 2024
The film takes on Proustian dimensions by using a smoking pipe as the catalyst for the old man’s memories, which come to life in beautiful drawings by animator Kunio Katō.
—Jeremy Fassler, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2024
Marcel Proust is so famous for his evocative writing that any instance in literature in which a memory or feeling is conjured by a sensory trigger is called a Proustian moment.
—Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2023
The effect of this habit is Proustian but its origin is not.
—Joshua Hunt, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2023
There’s something Proustian about the command, which hints at a simpler time.
—Angelica Aboulhosn, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Sep. 2023
Proust Barbie One of the only Barbies referenced that doesn't exist is Proust Barbie, a gag about a hypothetical doll based on French author Marcel Proust that comes after Barbie has a Proustian memory.
—Brendan Morrow, The Week, 24 July 2023
The smell of said box triggers a Proustian sense memory from Barbie of her birth.
—Time, 21 July 2023
The specific scene the director is referencing is when Margot Robbie’s Barbie steps inside her plastic packaging and makes a remark that the familiar smell is a Proustian memory.
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 July 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.
Dictionary Entries Near Proustian
Cite this Entry
“Proustian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Proustian. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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