Illustration of wisteria
wisteria
noun
wis·te·ria
wi-ˈstir-ē-ə 
variants
or less commonly wistaria
: any of a genus (Wisteria) of mostly woody leguminous vines of China, Japan, and the southeastern U.S. that have pinnately compound leaves and long racemes of showy blue, white, purple, or rose papilionaceous flowers and that include several (such as W. sinensis and W. floribunda) grown as ornamentals
Examples of wisteria in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Awful Weed #1: Wisteria Japanese and Chinese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda and sinensis) are absolutely gorgeous in flower.
—
Steve Bender, Southern Living, 7 July 2023
Cottage Planted 20 years ago, a lavender-and-cream Japanese wisteria climbs the pergola, flowering every May.
—Owen Holmes, House Beautiful, 23 Mar. 2023
While vigorous, American wisteria doesn't grow as aggressively as non-native wisterias.
—Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Feb. 2023
Sometimes people complain that their wisteria is not blooming.
—oregonlive, 12 Jan. 2021
In a recent Instagram post from the 89-year-old industry icon, Collins showed off her timeless style while searching for a blooming wisteria tree with her husband, Percy Gibson.
—Zizi Strater, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2023
Lee Ungno has great facility with ink, for example, but executing the densely interwoven vines of a wisteria, frequently a symbol of longevity, to resemble a thoroughly nonfigurative Jackson Pollock drip-painting seems dismissive in a perhaps unintentionally jokey way.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2022
The wisteria bloom from mid-April to mid-May.
—Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Feb. 2022
While the Bridgerton's wisteria-framed London house is filmed across the Thames in Greenwich, it's meant to be in Grosvenor Square, the largest garden square in Mayfair.
—Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2022
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Steve Bender, Southern Living, 7 July 2023
Cottage Planted 20 years ago, a lavender-and-cream Japanese wisteria climbs the pergola, flowering every May.
—Owen Holmes, House Beautiful, 23 Mar. 2023
While vigorous, American wisteria doesn't grow as aggressively as non-native wisterias.
—Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Feb. 2023
Sometimes people complain that their wisteria is not blooming.
—oregonlive, 12 Jan. 2021
In a recent Instagram post from the 89-year-old industry icon, Collins showed off her timeless style while searching for a blooming wisteria tree with her husband, Percy Gibson.
—Zizi Strater, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2023
Lee Ungno has great facility with ink, for example, but executing the densely interwoven vines of a wisteria, frequently a symbol of longevity, to resemble a thoroughly nonfigurative Jackson Pollock drip-painting seems dismissive in a perhaps unintentionally jokey way.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2022
The wisteria bloom from mid-April to mid-May.
—Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Feb. 2022
While the Bridgerton's wisteria-framed London house is filmed across the Thames in Greenwich, it's meant to be in Grosvenor Square, the largest garden square in Mayfair.
—Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wisteria.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
New Latin Wisteria, from Caspar Wistar †1818 American physician
First Known Use
1842, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to wisteria
Dictionary Entries Near wisteria
Cite this Entry
“Wisteria.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wisteria. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
wisteria
noun
wis·te·ria
wis-ˈtir-ē-ə
: any of a genus of mostly woody vines of China, Japan, and the southeastern U.S. that belong to the legume family and have leaves with numerous leaflets and showy blue, white, purple, or rose flowers in long hanging clusters
Etymology
named for Caspar Wistar 1761–1818 American physician
More from Merriam-Webster on wisteria
Nglish: Translation of wisteria for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wisteria
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