Meaning & use
classicism
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Meanings
noununcountable
A style in art, architecture and writing that values balance, order, restraint and clear form, inspired by ancient Greece and Rome.
Grammar: Uncountable when meaning the style: classicism shaped the building.
Patterns
- classicism in something
The museum's columns show the influence of classicism.
Eighteenth-century poets often admired classicism for its clarity.
Her paintings reject romantic excess in favor of classicism.
noununcountable
The study or imitation of the culture, art and languages of ancient Greece and Rome.
Grammar: Uncountable: a lifelong interest in classicism.
Patterns
- a revival of classicism
He taught classicism at a small college.
A revival of classicism swept the schools of Europe.
Her devotion to classicism led her to learn Latin.
Common combinations
- neoclassicism
- Neoclassicism revived Greek and Roman ideals in the 1700s.
- French classicism
- French classicism favored strict rules in drama.
- Greek classicism
- The temple reflects Greek classicism.
- revival of classicism
- The revival of classicism changed the city's architecture.
- influence of classicism
- The influence of classicism is clear in the poem's form.
Synonyms and how they differ
- neoclassicism
- Neoclassicism is the specific revival movement of the 1700s, while classicism can refer to the ancient style or its general values.
- formalism
- Formalism stresses form over content in any style, but classicism links this to ancient models.
- traditionalism
- Traditionalism favors old ways in general, whereas classicism points to Greek and Roman ones.
Opposites
Word family
- classic adjective
- of the highest quality or lasting value
- classical adjective
- relating to ancient Greece and Rome, or to traditional style
- classicist noun
- someone who studies the classics
- classics noun
- the study of ancient Greek and Latin culture
Commonly confused: classicism or classicist?
classicism vs classicist
A classicist is a person who studies or supports classicism, not the movement itself.
Practice
Which of these is most closely associated with classicism?
Choose one answer.
Classicism prizes order, harmony and restraint inspired by Greece and Rome. Wild emotion is more typical of romanticism.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “classicism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.