majolica
noun
ma·jol·i·ca
mə-ˈjä-li-kə 
variants
or less commonly maiolica
1
: earthenware covered with an opaque tin glaze and decorated on the glaze before firing
especially
: an Italian ware of this kind
2
: a 19th century earthenware modeled in naturalistic shapes and glazed in lively colors
Examples of majolica in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
My room—a villa, really—features the hotel-wide color scheme of white, terra-cotta, and green, with distinctive majolica plates adorning the wall and ceramic lamps from the nearby town of Grottaglie.
—
Nick Thompson, Air Mail, 28 June 2025
Santa Caterina’s rooms and suites are plush and elegant, featuring Vietri's famous majolica tiles, artisanal headboards and early 20th century furnishings.
—Livia Hengel, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
Modern and contemporary art by the likes of Picasso, de Chirico, and Magritte are in dialogue with antique furniture, 17th-century majolica, Asian art, and rare books.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2025
Carlo Oriente The majolica tiles from Cevi Ceramica Vietrese, which cover the peninsula in the kitchen, are a traditional Mediterranean material.
—Ludovica Stevan, Architectural Digest, 22 July 2024
The bedrooms are categorized by color–contessa, blue, pink and majolica.
—Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Jan. 2023
Learn About Ceramics in Faenza In the 15th and 16th centuries, the small city of Faenza became famous all over Europe for the production of majolica—so much so that the word faience derives from the name of this city.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Vogue, 25 Mar. 2024
The Paris dealer Christophe de Quenetain is offering a majolica dish from 1525 from the celebrated, exquisite Calini service made by Nicola da Urbino.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 11 Mar. 2020
Matte-finish tiles were printed with motifs referencing centuries-old intarsia and majolica patterns, and designers liked the idea of using them in contemporary spaces.
—Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Nick Thompson, Air Mail, 28 June 2025
Santa Caterina’s rooms and suites are plush and elegant, featuring Vietri's famous majolica tiles, artisanal headboards and early 20th century furnishings.
—Livia Hengel, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
Modern and contemporary art by the likes of Picasso, de Chirico, and Magritte are in dialogue with antique furniture, 17th-century majolica, Asian art, and rare books.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2025
Carlo Oriente The majolica tiles from Cevi Ceramica Vietrese, which cover the peninsula in the kitchen, are a traditional Mediterranean material.
—Ludovica Stevan, Architectural Digest, 22 July 2024
The bedrooms are categorized by color–contessa, blue, pink and majolica.
—Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Jan. 2023
Learn About Ceramics in Faenza In the 15th and 16th centuries, the small city of Faenza became famous all over Europe for the production of majolica—so much so that the word faience derives from the name of this city.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Vogue, 25 Mar. 2024
The Paris dealer Christophe de Quenetain is offering a majolica dish from 1525 from the celebrated, exquisite Calini service made by Nicola da Urbino.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 11 Mar. 2020
Matte-finish tiles were printed with motifs referencing centuries-old intarsia and majolica patterns, and designers liked the idea of using them in contemporary spaces.
—Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Majolica.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/majolica. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share