architecture

noun

ar·​chi·​tec·​ture ˈär-kə-ˌtek-chər 

1

: the art or science of building

specifically : the art or practice of designing and building structures and especially habitable ones

2

a

: formation or construction resulting from or as if from a conscious act

the architecture of the garden

b

: a unifying or coherent form or structure

a novel that lacks architecture

3

: architectural product or work

buildings that comprise the architecture of the square

4

: a method or style of building

Gothic architecture

5

: the manner in which the components of a computer or computer system are organized and integrated

different program architectures

Synonyms of architecture

• structure
• framework
• infrastructure

Examples of architecture in a Sentence

In college, he studied architecture.

The architecture of the building is modern.

Recent Examples on the Web

Certainly, the ancient Greeks appreciated symmetry and precision in their architecture; it’s even been hypothesized that this symmetry was considered divine and thus represented religious dedication to the space. — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026

What replaced it is the ability to determine whether the code that now exists is correct, appropriate to the architecture and safe to release. — Steve Taplin, Forbes.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Attendees soon made their way to the Carolina Herrera flagship, where a full-scale floral installation by Raúl Àvila draped across the multi-story architecture. — Ruby Ford-Dunker, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2026

Hadn’t a building type that initially looked like liberation from the limits of analog architecture hardened into a predictable placeless formula? — Sam Lubell, Curbed, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see architect

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing architecture

• Norman architecture

Rhymes for architecture

• conjecture
• prefecture
• lecture

Kids Definition

architecture

noun

ar·​chi·​tec·​ture ˈär-kə-ˌtek-chər 

1

: the art or science of designing and building structures and especially ones that can be lived in

2

: architectural product or work

3

: a method or style of building

architectural

ˌär-kə-ˈtek-chə-rəl, 

-ˈtek-shrəl

adjective

architecturally

-ē

adverb

Medical Definition

architecture

noun

ar·​chi·​tec·​ture ˈär-kə-ˌtek-chər 

: the basic structural form especially of a bodily part or of a large molecule

the architecture and function of the cerebral cortex

the complex molecular architecture of muscle cells

—Carolyn Cohen

architectural

ˌär-kə-ˈtek-chə-rəl, -ˈtek-shrəl 

adjective

architecturally

-ē 

adverb