classicism

noun

clas·​si·​cism ˈkla-sə-ˌsi-zəm 

1

a

: the principles or style embodied in the literature, art, or architecture of ancient Greece and Rome

b

: classical scholarship

c

: a classical idiom or expression

2

: adherence to traditional standards (as of simplicity, restraint, and proportion) that are universally and enduringly valid

Examples of classicism in a Sentence

a return to classicism in modern architecture

the classicism of the building

Recent Examples on the Web

If modern cinema is defined by the abstract relations between a story and its telling, the height of classicism consists of concrete relations rendered in style. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2025

This was a popular style of architecture across Europe in the late 1800 and early 1900’s, a throwback to Greek and Roman classicism. —Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Fall’s fashion trends mark a return to classicism, with influences from academia and the English countryside, and few pieces capture the mood as effortlessly as blazers. —Kristina Rutkowski, Glamour, 12 Sep. 2025

With architecture that blends the brutalism and folk influences of Eastern Europe with the classicism of Western Europe, Finland is an understated design destination. —Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 6 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for classicism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism

Kids Definition

classicism

noun

clas·​si·​cism ˈklas-ə-ˌsiz-əm 

1

: the principles or style of the literature, art, or architecture of ancient Greece and Rome

2

: a following of the standards of tradition (as in music or art)