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
José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026
The overall look of the dress created an intriguing sartorial moment and methodical approach, complementing the aesthetic Gothic energy of the play.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 18 Feb. 2026
Clad in red, white and black, the renegade scientist’s sartorial inspiration is not bound to a single era.
—Emma Fraser, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
The Gossip Girl alum made herself into a sartorial harbinger for spring on Tuesday, embracing the peekaboo bra trend in a completely sheer fishnet sweater in one of the season’s most vibrant hues.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sartorial
Cite this Entry
“Sartorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sartorial. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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sartorial
adjective
