pastiche

noun

pas·​tiche pa-ˈstēsh 

pä-

1

: a literary, artistic, musical, or architectural work that imitates the style of previous work

His building designs are pastiches based on classical forms.

also : such stylistic imitation

2

a

: a musical, literary, or artistic composition made up of selections from different works : potpourri

The research paper was essentially a pastiche made up of passages from different sources.

b

: hodgepodge

The house is decorated in a pastiche of Asian styles.

pasticheur

ˌpa-stē-ˈshər 

ˌpä-

noun

Did you know?

It all began with macaroni. Our word pastiche is from French, but the French word was in turn borrowed from Italian, where the word is pasticcio. Pasticcio is what the Italians called a kind of "macaroni pie" (from the word pasta). English-speakers familiar with this multilayered dish had begun to apply the name to various sorts of potpourris or hodgepodges (musical, literary, or otherwise) by the 18th century. For over a hundred years English speakers were happy with pasticcio, until we discovered the French word pastiche sometime in the latter part of the 1800s. Although we still occasionally use pasticcio in its extended meaning, "pastiche" is now much more common.

Synonyms

• agglomerate
• agglomeration
• alphabet soup
• assortment
• botch
• clutter
• collage
• crazy quilt
• farrago
• gallimaufry
• grab bag
• gumbo
• hash
• hodgepodge
• hotchpotch
• jambalaya
• jumble
• jungle
• litter
• macédoine
• medley
• mélange
• menagerie
• miscellanea
• miscellany
• mishmash
• mixed bag
• montage
• motley
• muddle
• olio
• olla podrida
• omnium-gatherum
• patchwork
• patchwork quilt
• potpourri
• ragbag
• ragout
• rummage
• salad
• salmagundi
• scramble
• shuffle
• smorgasbord
• stew
• tumble
• variety
• welter

Examples of pastiche in a Sentence

His earlier building designs were pastiches based on classical forms.

With this work she goes beyond pastiche.

The research paper was essentially a pastiche made up of passages from different sources.

The house is decorated in a pastiche of Asian styles.

Recent Examples on the Web

All sorts of stuff that’s a pastiche of modern art. —Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Sep. 2024

The bedroom is a pastiche of colors and patterns, thanks to a Meghan Spielman tapestry, a vintage American quilt from The Window, and an eye painting by Hassan Rahim. —Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar, Architectural Digest, 4 Sep. 2024

Nickel Boys is something far more complex and confounding, leaning heavily on point-of-view and the interjection of related archival material to create something that is an abstract pastiche of fictional narrative and documentary. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2024

One of the pastiche's protagonists was unapologetic, however. —Michel Rose, The Enquirer, 27 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Italian pasticcio

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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