adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/mɑːˈmɔː.ɹɪ.əl/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/mɑɹˈmo.ɹi.əl/
rhymes with -ɔːɹiəl
1
adj
Meaning 1
Resembling marble or a marble statue; cold, smooth, white, etc.; marblelike.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: literary
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: marmoraceous, marmorean, marmoreous
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Made out of marble.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: literary, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: marble
Antonyms: none provided
3
adjective
Meaning 3
of or relating to or characteristic of marble
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: marmorean
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Latin marmoreus (“of, pertaining to, consisting of or made of marble; resembling marble; adorned with statues”) + English -al (suffix forming adjectives). Marmoreus is derived from marmor (“block or piece of marble; marble building or statue”) (from Ancient Greek μάρμᾰρος (mármăros, “marble”)) + -eus (suffix forming adjectives from nouns). By surface analysis, Latin marmor + -eal.
Across languages
Translations
18 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
мраморен
(mramoren)
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Chinese Mandarin:
大理石的
(dàlǐshíde)
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Finnish:
marmorinen
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
French:
marmoréen
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Georgian:
მარმარილოსებრი
(marmarilosebri)
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
German:
marmorn
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Irish:
marmarach
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Italian:
marmoreo
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Macedonian:
ме́рмерен
(mérmeren)
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Macedonian:
мра́морен
(mrámoren)
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Maltese:
mraħħam
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Maltese:
rħami
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Romanian:
marmoreean
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Spanish:
marmóreo
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Spanish:
marmoroso
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Spanish:
marmoleado
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Welsh:
marmoraidd
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike
Welsh:
mynoraidd
— resembling marble or a marble statue — see also marblelike