chinoiserie

C3H4I1N1O1I1S1E1R1I1E1
/ʃɪnwɑːzəˈɹiː//ʃiːn-/

noun

An artistic object influenced by Chinese art.

OriginFrench chinoiserie →
UncommonScrabble 16
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Meanings

chinoiserie1

nounchinoiserie (countable and uncountable, plural chinoiseries)

plural chinoiseries · alternative Chinoiserie

  1. countableartAn artistic object influenced by Chinese art.

    [H]e possessed the most delightful chinoiseries—trophies of his sojourn in the Celestial Empire: pagodas of ebony and cabinets of ivory; sculptured monsters, grinning and leering on chimney-pieces, in front of beautifully figured hand-screens; […]

    1878 July–October, Henry James, Jr., chapter VI, in The Europeans. A Sketch. […], volume I, London: Macmillan and Co., published 1878, →OCLC, page 246
  2. uncountableartA style in art that reflects the influence of Chinese art.

Chinoiserie2

nounChinoiserie (countable and uncountable, plural Chinoiseries)

plural Chinoiseries

  1. countableuncountableAlternative letter-case form of chinoiserie.

Origin

  1. Frenchchinois
  2. Frenchchinoiserie
  3. Englishchinoiserie

Borrowed from French chinoiserie (“Chinese-esque”).

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 中國風 /中国风
  • 中國風 /中国风 (zhōngguófēng)style in art that reflects the influence of Chinese art
Finnish kinoiseria
  • kinoiseriastyle in art that reflects the influence of Chinese art
French chinoiserie
  • chinoiseriestyle in art that reflects the influence of Chinese art
German Chinoiserie
  • Chinoiseriestyle in art that reflects the influence of Chinese art
Italian cineseria
  • cineseriastyle in art that reflects the influence of Chinese art
Polish chinoiserie
  • chinoiseriestyle in art that reflects the influence of Chinese art
Russian шинуазри, шинуазери
  • шинуазри (šinuazri)style in art that reflects the influence of Chinese art
  • шинуазери (šinuazeri)style in art that reflects the influence of Chinese art
Spanish chinería
  • chineríastyle in art that reflects the influence of Chinese art
Ukrainian шинуазрі́
  • шинуазрі́ (šynuazrí)style in art that reflects the influence of Chinese art
Cite this entry
APA

chinoiserie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chinoiserie

MLA

“chinoiserie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chinoiserie. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chinoiserie,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chinoiserie.

Source: chinoiserie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.