Standard Lemma guide

orientalism

noun · 6 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.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The tendency to represent eastern subjects, to assume stylistical characteristics original of the East, especially in 19th century Europe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: architecture, art, arts, literature, media, publishing

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An Eastern word, expression, or custom.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A patronizing Western attitude towards Middle Eastern, Asian, and North African societies.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: capitalized, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Alternative letter-case form of orientalism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the quality or customs or mannerisms characteristic of Asian civilizations

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • orientalisms can be found in Mozart's operas

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: quality

6

noun

Meaning 6

the scholarly knowledge of Asian cultures and languages and people

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Oriental Studies

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: humanistic discipline, humanities, liberal arts, arts

History

Etymology

From French orientalisme, from oriental (“eastern, Oriental”). In the sense “patronizing Western attitude” popularized by Edward Said's 1978 book Orientalism. Equivalent to Oriental + -ism.

Across languages

Translations

25 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: اِسْتِشْراق (istišrāq) — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Catalan: orientalisme — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Chinese Mandarin: 東方主義 /东方主义 (dōngfāngzhǔyì) — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Finnish: orientalismi — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Finnish: itämaalaisuus — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • French: orientalisme — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • German: Orientalismus — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Hindi: प्राच्यवाद (prācyavād) — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Hungarian: orientalizmus — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Irish: oirthearachas — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Italian: orientalismo — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Japanese: オリエンタリズム (orientarizumu) — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Korean: 오리엔탈리즘 (orientallijeum) — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Malay: faham ketimuran — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Malay: faham orientalis — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Malay: orientalisme — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Persian: خاورگرایی (xâvargarâyi) — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Polish: orientalizm — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Portuguese: orientalismo — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Romanian: orientalism — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Russian: ориентали́зм (orijentalízm) — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Spanish: orientalismo — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Turkish: oryantalizm — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Ukrainian: орієнталі́зм (orijentalízm) — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
  • Urdu: اِسْتِشْراق (istiśrāq) — the tendency to represent eastern subjects
Real reading context

orientalism in complete knowledge articles