bespoke

adjective

be·​spoke bi-ˈspōk 

bē-

variants or less commonly bespoken

bi-ˈspō-kən 

bē-

1

a

: custom-made

a bespoke suit

b

: dealing in or producing custom-made articles

a bespoke tailor

2

dialect : engaged

Did you know?

In the English language of yore, the verb bespeak had various meanings, including “to speak,” “to accuse,” and “to complain.” In the 16th century, bespeak acquired another meaning: “to order or arrange in advance.” It is from that sense that we get the adjective bespoke, referring to clothes and other things that are ordered before they are made. Bespoke has enjoyed a spike in usage in recent years, perhaps due to consumer trends that champion all things artisanal over those that are prefab.

Synonyms

• custom
• custom-made
• custom-tailored
• customized
• made-to-order
• tailor-made
• tailored

Examples of bespoke in a Sentence

a wealthy man who can easily afford bespoke suits

Recent Examples on the Web

Worse are the historical chatbots where people who lived and spoke and wrote are compiled into bespoke large language models and then let loose without consideration or care. —John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2025

Today, half of the production is ready-to-wear and the other half custom or bespoke. —Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 24 May 2025

Owner Dori Lewis and her team of milliners create unique headwear, filling the shop with a colorful array of dresses from independent designers and bespoke Derby hats. —Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 23 May 2025

The ability to develop, deploy, and control bespoke AI capabilities will dictate who prevails in the next generation of space conflict. —Charles Beames, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

past participle of bespeak

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for bespoke

• awoke
• baroque
• colloque
• convoke
• evoke
• invoke
• keystroke
• kinfolk
• kinsfolk
• menfolk
• provoke
• revoke

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