sartorial
adjective
Did you know?
Study the seams in the word sartorial and you’ll find the common adjective suffix -ial and sartor, a Medieval Latin noun meaning “tailor.” (Sartor comes ultimately from Latin sarcire, “to mend.”) Sartorial has bedecked the English language since the early decades of the 19th century as a word describing things relating to clothes and to tailors, while sartor, though never fully adopted into the language, has also seen occasional use as a synonym for tailor. A third word shares the same root: sartorius (plural sartorii) refers to the longest muscle in the human body. Crossing the front of the thigh obliquely, it assists in rotating the leg to the cross-legged position in which the knees are spread wide apart—and in which tailors have traditionally sat.
Examples of sartorial in a Sentence
Han Ong, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
The transition from cutesy, overly frilly looks into something sleeker can boost their confidence and teach them valuable skills in dressing oneself in a way that honors their self-expression and changing sartorial needs.
—Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
Now in her third season at the fashion house, Burton has cemented her vision for Givenchy, encompassing all the sartorial needs of her clientele.
—Kevin Huynh, InStyle, 12 Mar. 2026
And Jordan's performances as Smoke and Stack are indeed confident and distinctive, not just in their different sartorial choices but in their mannerisms, with the actor excelling at portraying both Smoke's stoic practicality and Stack's swaggering charm.
—Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Sartorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sartorial. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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sartorial
adjective
