Proustian

//ˈpɹusti.ən// adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of, pertaining to, or reminiscent of Marcel Proust (1871–1922), French novelist, or his works.

    "The character played by French female lead Lea Seydoux is even called Madeleine Swann, a name whose Proustian double resonance can only be deliberate."

  2. 2
    Derived from personal memory, as it often happens in the works of Proust (for example, in the experience of the madeleine).

    "D'Costa's poems so far published also reverberate with an awareness of the past, and a gently Proustian pleasure, as in the elegiac “In Memorandum”."

Adjective
  1. 1
    of or relating to or in the manner of Marcel Proust wordnet

Example

More examples

"The character played by French female lead Lea Seydoux is even called Madeleine Swann, a name whose Proustian double resonance can only be deliberate."

Etymology

From French Proust + -ian.

Related phrases

Proustian moment

More for "proustian"

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