Definition of SARTORIAL

Did You Know?

It's easy to uncover the root of sartorial. Just strip off the suffix -ial and you discover the Latin noun sartor, meaning "tailor" (literally, "one who patches or mends"). Sartorial splendor has been the stuff of voguish magazines for years, and even sartor itself has occasionally proven fashionable, as it did in 1843, when Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote of "coats whose memory turns the sartor pale," or in the 1870 title The Sartor, or British journal of cutting, clothing, and fashion. Sartorial has been in style with English speakers since at least 1823.

Examples of sartorial in a Sentence

They accused him of having poor sartorial taste. The wedding party arrived in sartorial splendor.

Recent Examples on the Web

Take note, and get ready to hit those summer sales armed with a little sartorial inspiration from these street style stars. — Mekita Rivas, refinery29.com, "The Most Traffic-Stopping Street Style From Paris Couture Week 2019," 5 July 2019 The sartorial wild card of the two-night stand came in the form of author Marianne Williamson, whose sea foam green pantsuit and diaphanous flower-print blouse seemed as wonderfully, head-scratchingly out of place as her presence on the stage. — Adam Tschorn, latimes.com, "The 2020 Democratic debates: A pop of red, a naked neck and a sea of navy blue," 28 June 2019 The Holy Roman Empire, as Voltaire pointed out, was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire; La Manche has no sartorial connections; the Mediterranean is not the centre of the Earth; there is no horticulture in the Big Apple. — The Economist, "Europe heroically defends itself against veggie burgers," 28 June 2019 This collection is now a major repository of sartorial history. — Jacques Kelly, baltimoresun.com, "'A leading force in shaping the sartorial identity of the city': Unraveling the threads Lottie Barton's life," 22 June 2019 In perfect, sartorial style, the 44-year-old ex-Spice Girl wore a classic white blazer and matching trousers of her own design (well, of course), teamed with a lace slip-style vest and black heels. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Ken Paves Cut Victoria Beckham's Hair on the Way to the People's Choice Awards," 12 Nov. 2018 His power in Hollywood was also felt on the red carpet with countless iconic sartorial moments with some of the most stylish women in the world: Beyonce at the Met Gala, Cate Blanchett at the Academy Awards and Adele at the Grammys. — Chrissy Rutherford, Harper's BAZAAR, "Riccardo Tisci's Burberry is Taking Over Hollywood," 2 Nov. 2018 Fortunately, that sartorial vision has yet to materialize, but baseball has had its fair share of wardrobe malfunctions. — Cesar Brioso, USA TODAY, "You're wearing that? Images of the ugliest MLB uniforms in history," 11 June 2019 In Tokyo, Berg donned a men’s kimono — a sartorial flourish included in the documentary — and walked to a hospital under the pretense of visiting the daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Japan, who had just given birth. — Washington Post, "The strange life and death of Moe Berg, the baseball catcher who became a spy," 7 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sartorial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.