victorian

victorian — adjective

IPA/vɪkˈtɔːriən/
KK[vɪktˈɔriən]IPA/vɪkˈtɔːriən/
  • victorianpositive
  • more victoriancomparative
  • most victoriansuperlative

1. covering the years 1837–1901, a period in British history when Victoria was the

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

covering the years 1837–1901, a period in British history when Victoria was the ruling queen — including its buildings, paintings, novels, fashions, and daily life.

Example

The museum has a large collection of Victorian furniture and paintings.

collocation: Victorian + furniture / paintings

Many Victorian houses in London still have their original fireplaces.

collocation: Victorian houses

Common collocations
  • Victorian architecture
  • Victorian furniture
  • Victorian literature
  • Victorian era
  • Victorian house
Synonyms
  • nineteenth-century

    broader — covers the entire 1800s across all countries, not specifically Britain under Victoria

2. describing the set of socially conservative beliefs and behaviours that people c

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing the set of socially conservative beliefs and behaviours that people connect with 19th-century Britain — for instance, the idea that sex, divorce, and strong emotions are improper topics to talk about in public.

Example

My grandmother has rather Victorian attitudes about what young people should wear.

collocation: Victorian attitudes

The school's Victorian rules banned any contact between boys and girls outside lessons.

Common collocations
  • Victorian attitudes
  • Victorian values
  • Victorian morality
  • Victorian view
  • Victorian standards
Synonyms
  • prudish

    more specific — focuses on being easily shocked by matters of sex and nudity, while Victorian can cover a wider range of moral strictness

  • stuffy

    more informal — suggests someone is dull, conventional, and overly proper

  • puritanical

    stronger — suggests very rigid religious rules against pleasure, often with a judgmental tone

Antonyms
  • liberal

    open to new ideas and tolerant of different behaviours and lifestyles

  • permissive

    allowing a lot of freedom, especially in moral or sexual matters

Usage Note

This sense often carries a negative or critical tone, suggesting that someone is unreasonably strict about morals or refuses to accept modern, open attitudes toward relationships and personal life.

Common Mistakes

My uncle has Victorian ideas about technology — he refuses to use a smartphone.
My uncle has Victorian ideas about relationships
he thinks couples should never divorce.' — Victorian describes strict moral/social attitudes, not general old-fashionedness or dislike of new technology.

3. connected with the Australian state of Victoria, including its government, its l

3.adjectiveB1
Definition

connected with the Australian state of Victoria, including its government, its land, and its people.

Example

The Victorian coastline along the Great Ocean Road is absolutely stunning.

geographical reference: Victorian coastline

Saira moved to Melbourne to study at a Victorian university.

Common collocations
  • Victorian government
  • Victorian coastline
  • Victorian winery
  • Victorian national park
  • Victorian state

Usage Note

This sense refers specifically to the Australian state, not to the Canadian city of Victoria (British Columbia) or any other place named Victoria.

victorian — noun

IPA/vɪkˈtɔː.ri.ən/
KK[vɪktˈɔriən]IPA/vɪkˈtɔːr.i.ən/

Word family

  • Victoria
    proper nounB1
  • Victorianism
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Victorian, Edwardian, Georgian, and Elizabethan all label periods of British history named after the monarch who ruled at the time. Victorian (1837–1901) is the broadest and most widely used of the four outside specialist contexts — it covers the Industrial Revolution, the height of the British Empire, and a distinctive style in architecture and furniture. Edwardian (1901–1910) refers to a much shorter period immediately after Victoria's death; its atmosphere is often remembered as more relaxed and elegant, with lighter colours in fashion and design. Georgian (1714–1830/1837) describes the earlier 18th and early 19th centuries, famous for symmetrical architecture, the novels of Jane Austen, and the beginnings of industrialisation. Elizabethan (1558–1603) goes back to the 16th century and the reign of Elizabeth I, a time of Shakespeare, exploration, and the flowering of English drama. Use Victorian when you mean the 19th-century British period specifically; use the others when the exact century or cultural flavour matters. For example: "The play is set in a Victorian drawing-room" versus "The play is set in an Elizabethan theatre."

EdwardianGeorgianElizabethan

Etymology

LatinEnglishEnglish

From Victoria, the name of the British queen who ruled from 1837 to 1901, plus the suffix -ian (meaning 'belonging to' or 'relating to'). The queen herself was named Victoria after the Roman goddess of victory. The word first appeared in English in the 1830s to describe things of her reign, and by the late 19th century it had also developed a second meaning referring to the strict moral attitudes that people came to associate with that period.