SINCE 1828
period piece
nounDefinition of period piece
: 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
The Favourite upends the concept of a staid period piece, and with it, our understanding of history. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "The True Ending of The Favourite: In Real Life, Lady Marlborough Got the Last Laugh," 5 Jan. 2019 In addition to viewing costumes, weaponry, utensils, tents and other period pieces, visitors could listen to accounts from reenactors who are ardent students of the nation’s bloodiest war. — Denys Bucksten, chicagotribune.com, "Civil War Days in Lake County a trip back in time," 9 July 2018 This is particularly true for a period piece like Greenwood Avenue, a film set in 1920s Tusla, Oklahoma, which called for the restoration of luxurious 1920s fashions (think flapper dresses, tuxedos, top hats). — Amira Rasool, Teen Vogue, "'Greenwood Avenue' Costume Designer Talks the Importance of 1920s Black Fashion," 28 Sep. 2018 But fashion, especially dramatic period pieces, had been an escape. — Amanda Fitzsimons, Glamour, "Batsheva Hay Is Redefining Sexy—With Prairie Dresses," 2 Aug. 2018 Keira Knightley period pieces are 100 percent my thing, and this one looks great. — Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge, "New trailers: Christopher Robin, Goosebumps 2, and more," 14 July 2018 Action series play into this, as do mysteries, dramas, period pieces, and every other genre under the sun. — refinery29.com, "Why Tyler's Brutal Finale Scene In 13 Reasons Why Season 2 Is So Upsetting," 29 May 2018 Amazon Prime is here with just the show that will quench your thirst for all things deeply British and deeply political with another based-on-true-events period piece A Very English Scandal. — refinery29.com, "If You Miss The Crown, Treat Yourself To A Very English Scandal," 29 June 2018 His macho bluster now seems a period piece—influenced by Ernest Hemingway and Nelson Algren, and paralleled by the antics of Ellison’s contemporaries like Norman Mailer and Hunter S. Thompson. — Jeet Heer, The New Republic, "Harlan Ellison’s Death Raises a #MeToo Quandary," 2 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'period piece.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on period piece
What made you want to look up period piece? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
What did you just call me?! A Quiz
-
- If a member of the audience describes your speech as bombastic, does that person mean it is:
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share period piece
Resources for period piece