classicism

[klas-uh-siz-uh m] /ˈklæs əˌsɪz əm/
noun
1.
the principles or styles characteristic of the literature and art of ancient Greece and Rome.
2.
adherence to such principles.
3.
the classical style in literature and art, or adherence to its principles (contrasted with romanticism).
Compare classical (def 7).
4.
a Greek or Latin idiom or form, especially one used in some other language.
5.
classical scholarship or learning.
Also, classicalism
[klas-i-kuh-liz-uh m] /ˈklæs ɪ kəˌlɪz əm/ (Show IPA).
Origin
1820-30; classic + -ism
Related forms
classicistic
[klas-uh-sis-tik] /ˌklæs əˈsɪs tɪk/ (Show IPA), adjective
anticlassicalism, noun
anticlassicism, noun
British Dictionary definitions for classicism

classicism

/ˈklæsɪˌsɪzəm/
noun
1.
a style based on the study of Greek and Roman models, characterized by emotional restraint and regularity of form, associated esp with the 18th century in Europe; the antithesis of romanticism Compare neoclassicism
2.
knowledge or study of the culture of ancient Greece and Rome
3.
  1. a Greek or Latin form or expression
  2. an expression in a modern language, such as English, that is modelled on a Greek or Latin form
Word Origin and History for classicism
n.

"classical style in art or literature," 1830, from classic + -ism. Related: Classicist.

classicism in Culture

classicism definition


An approach to aesthetics that favors restraint, rationality, and the use of strict forms in literature, painting, architecture, and other arts. It flourished in ancient Greece and Rome, and throughout Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Classicists often derived their models from the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Note: Classicism is sometimes considered the opposite of romanticism.