noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The tendency to represent eastern subjects, to assume stylistical characteristics original of the East. countable, uncountable
2. 2
   Alternative form of orientalism. alt-of, alternative
3. 3
   the quality or customs or mannerisms characteristic of Asian civilizations wordnet
4. 4
   An Eastern word, expression, or custom. countable, uncountable
5. 5
   the scholarly knowledge of Asian cultures and languages and people wordnet

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6. 6
   A patronizing Western attitude towards Middle Eastern, Asian, and North African societies. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

oriental studies

Example

More examples

"A university thesis describes the "Orientalism" that imbues sci-fi in the West."

Etymology

From French orientalisme, from oriental (“eastern, Oriental”). Equivalent to Oriental + -ism.

Related phrases

auto-Orientalismtechno-orientalism

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.