baroque

play

adjective, often capitalized ba·roque \bə-ˈrōk, ba-, -ˈräk, -ˈrȯk\

Definition of baroque

1 art : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of artistic expression prevalent especially in the 17th century that is marked generally by use of complex forms, bold ornamentation, and the juxtaposition of contrasting elements often conveying a sense of drama, movement, and tension a baroque cathedral baroque music and literature the baroque period
2 : characterized by grotesqueness, extravagance, complexity, or flamboyance a truly baroque act of sabotage — G. N. Shuster
3 of gems : irregularly shaped a baroque pearl

baroquely

adverb

See baroque defined for English-language learners

See baroque defined for kids

baroque was our Word of the Day on 05/20/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of baroque in a Sentence

a somewhat baroque writing style
a book filled with baroque descriptions

Recent Examples of baroque from the Web

As Harry Potter fans know, Luna’s eccentric wardrobe of pink plaid outerwear, stuffed lion headpieces, and baroque Sprectrespec glasses could have easily walked down Alessandro Michele’s runway in 2017.

— sara klausing, Vogue, "What If Fashion’s Favorite Designers Went to Hogwarts?", 26 June 2017
The city's historic district is characterized by a baroque street plan of circles and diagonal streets.

— brian witte, baltimoresun.com, "Keeping US colonial history above water topic of conference in Annapolis", 26 June 2017
The city’s historic district is characterized by a baroque street plan of circles and diagonal streets.

— Washington Post, "Conference set on keeping US colonial history above water", 25 June 2017
Definitely slippers, but the silk jacquard baroque style.

— rebecca ramsey, The Cut, "The Vintage-Clothing Magnate Who Grew Up on a Commune", 23 June 2017
The president discussed the launch while dining with the Japanese prime minister and his wife and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on the terrace of his baroque Palm Beach club.

— graydon carter, The Hive, "Trump’s White House: The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight", 19 June 2017
This was the record album—the 12-inch, 33 1/3-rpm vinyl disc that, adorned in the increasingly baroque jacketry of the times, turned a black-and-white world into bursting technicolor.

— michael tomasky, The Atlantic, "How the Hippies Hijacked Vinyl", 31 May 2017
What seems like a baroque process involving thousands of steps actually requires only a short list of rules of thumb that spiders follow at each junction.

— joshua sokol, The Atlantic, "Does a Spider Use Its Web Like You Use Your Smartphone?", 30 May 2017
The baroque plot, with its allusions to far-reaching power across time and geography, plays into the public's long-running, conspiracy-minded fascination with the male secret society's lore.

— gary baum, The Hollywood Reporter, "Inside Hollywood's Secret Masonic History, From Disney to DeMille", 25 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'baroque'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Baroque came to English from a French word meaning "irregularly shaped." At first, the word in French was used mostly to refer to pearls. Eventually, it came to describe an extravagant style of art characterized by curving lines, gilt, and gold. This type of art, which was prevalent especially in the 17th century, was sometimes considered to be excessively decorated and overly complicated. It makes sense, therefore, that the meaning of the word baroque has broadened to include anything that seems excessively ornate or elaborate.

Origin and Etymology of baroque

French, from Middle French barroque irregularly shaped (of a pearl), from Portuguese barroco irregularly shaped pearl

NEW!

First Known Use: circa 1734

See Words from the same year

Other Fine Arts Terms

Gothic, bas-relief, limn, oeuvre, pastiche, rococo, sfumato

baroque

noun, often capitalized ba·roque

Definition of baroque

art : the baroque style or the period in which it flourished

Origin and Etymology of baroque

noun derivative of ¹baroque

NEW!

First Known Use: 1852

See Words from the same year

Other History Terms

agonistic, carpetbagger, enceinte, fief, historiography, paladin

BAROQUE Defined for English Language Learners

baroque

play

adjective

Definition of baroque for English Language Learners

: of or relating to a dramatic style of art and music that was common in the 17th and early 18th centuries and that featured many decorative parts and details
: having many details or too many details