parlor
parlor — noun
1. A commercial establishment where customers go to receive a specific hands-on ser
A commercial establishment where customers go to receive a specific hands-on service or to buy a particular product, typically named by combining the word with the service or product.
Aunt Keiko runs an ice cream parlor that stays busy each summer near the shore.
collocation: ice cream parlor
Kemi booked an appointment at the beauty parlor downtown for a haircut before her wedding.
collocation: beauty parlor
The tattoo parlor on Elm Street has five artists who each specialize in different styles.
When the funeral parlor helped arrange the service, the staff were kind and respectful throughout.
The owner turned the old bakery into a pizza parlor and added outdoor seating.
用法筆記
Frequently appears as the second element in compound nouns: 'ice cream parlor', 'beauty parlor', 'tattoo parlor', 'funeral parlor', 'pizza parlor'. The British/Commonwealth spelling is 'parlour'.
常見錯誤
2. A sitting room inside a family home, especially found in older houses, kept neat
A sitting room inside a family home, especially found in older houses, kept neat and used mainly for receiving guests and talking with them rather than for daily family activities.
In Grandmother's old house, the parlor was only used when the minister came to visit.
historical register: parlor as a formal room
The family gathered in the parlor after dinner to listen to the evening news.
Caleb dusted the parlor furniture every Thursday and made sure the curtains were straight.
Haruto remembered sitting in his great-aunt's parlor, where she kept a piano that nobody played.
The old Victorian house had a front parlor with tall windows and a marble fireplace.
- living room
the modern equivalent; the most common term today
- sitting room
common in British English; slightly more formal than living room
- drawing room
formal historical term, short for 'withdrawing room'
用法筆記
This sense is now mainly historical or literary. In modern homes the same room is usually called a 'living room' or 'sitting room'. The room was often referred to as the 'best parlor' or 'front parlor' to distinguish it from everyday family spaces.
常見錯誤
3. A comfortable sitting area or lounge in a hotel, members' club, inn, or other pu
A comfortable sitting area or lounge in a hotel, members' club, inn, or other public building where people can relax, talk, or wait.
The hotel parlor was filled with leather armchairs where guests could read the morning paper.
collocation: hotel parlor
Members of the club often met in the parlor for afternoon tea and quiet conversation.
Amira waited for her tour group in the inn's parlor, admiring the antique fireplace.
Sana found a comfortable corner in the hotel parlor and called her family back home.
The old inn had a cozy parlor where travelers sat talking by the fire.
- lounge
the most common modern term; less formal
- sitting room
used in some British hotels and clubs
- common room
used in colleges and universities for a similar shared space
用法筆記
In modern hotels this space is more commonly called a 'lounge' or 'lobby lounge'. The term 'parlor' survives mostly in traditional or historic establishments.
parlor — adjective
- parlorpositive
- more parlorcomparative
- most parlorsuperlative
1. Designed, made, or intended for use in a parlor — typically describing furniture
Designed, made, or intended for use in a parlor — typically describing furniture, decor, or furnishings suitable for a formal sitting room.
The antique shop sold a set of parlor chairs with embroidered cushions and carved legs.
attributive: parlor chairs
At the estate sale, Dewi bought a parlor table made of dark polished mahogany.
The museum recreated a Victorian parlor room with wallpaper, a rug, and a cast-iron stove.
Parlor games like charades and twenty questions were popular before television became common.
Karim found parlor curtains in the attic that still had their original silk lining.
- casual
the opposite of formal parlor-style furniture
用法筆記
Only used before a noun (attributive position). Often appears in antique dealing, historical reenactment, and interior design contexts to describe period-appropriate items.
2. Holding to a set of opinions or principles in a way that avoids real-world invol
Holding to a set of opinions or principles in a way that avoids real-world involvement, action, or personal sacrifice — used to criticize someone as insincere or detached.
Critics called his environmental views parlor activism because he never attended a single protest.
collocation: parlor activism
The wealthy student's speeches about equality sounded like parlor socialism to the union members.
collocation: parlor socialism
Ramón dismissed the philosopher's arguments as parlor philosophy — elegant but disconnected from real life.
Sofie found the book's tone too easy, like a parlor debate with nothing at stake.
The senator's calls for revolution were called parlor radicalism by people who had faced real hardship.
- armchair
more common; 'armchair critic', 'armchair activist' — same dismissive tone but used more broadly
- grassroots
describes action taken at a local, practical level by ordinary people
用法筆記
Almost always used as a critical label before nouns of political or social ideology (socialism, liberalism, activism, radicalism). The tone is dismissive: it accuses the person of holding comfortable opinions without taking real risks.