period piece
noun
: a work (as of literature, art, furniture, cinema, or music) whose special value lies in its evocation of a historical period
Examples of period piece in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Produced by the character's originator, Reese Witherspoon, the 1990s-period piece follows a young Elle (now portrayed by newcomer Lexi Minetree) in high school.
—
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026
Fennell said she is frequently distracted by female characters adhering to modern grooming standards — like clean-shaven armpits — in period pieces like Jane Austen adaptations.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026
The standards reward including underrepresented people somewhere in a major studio movie’s pipeline, and the two-of-four math is loose enough that period pieces and war films clear it without anyone on set thinking about it.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 17 May 2026
Instead, he first clocked Holbrook in a small role in Jeff Nichols’ motorcycle period piece The Bikeriders.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for period piece
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.
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026
Fennell said she is frequently distracted by female characters adhering to modern grooming standards — like clean-shaven armpits — in period pieces like Jane Austen adaptations.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026
The standards reward including underrepresented people somewhere in a major studio movie’s pipeline, and the two-of-four math is loose enough that period pieces and war films clear it without anyone on set thinking about it.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 17 May 2026
Instead, he first clocked Holbrook in a small role in Jeff Nichols’ motorcycle period piece The Bikeriders.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for period piece
Cite this Entry
“Period piece.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/period%20piece. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
