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
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.
The soundtrack is loaded with classic rock and soul, and practically every scene references the films of that era — particularly gritty crime thrillers like Charley Varrick and The Outfit — or period pieces set around the same time. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025 Sinners is almost two movies in one: a vampire slaughterhouse film that’s also a period piece about the near-impossibility of upward mobility in the segregation economy. Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 2 May 2025 My intent for this month’s movie column was to review The Brutalist, the three-and-a-half-hour period piece that’s supposedly a throwback to the days of extended cinematic splendor (punctuated by a welcome intermission). Ross Douthat, National Review, 20 Feb. 2025 But in the same way that Sofia Coppola’s film Marie Antoinette mixes period pieces with new wave music from the ’70s and ’80s, Palatine takes an old-school raw perfume ingredient and gives it a modern lease on life. Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for period piece

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of period piece was in 1909

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Period piece.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/period%20piece. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!