Skeuomorphism

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The incorporation of obsolete or skeuomorphic elements into a design, for familiarity or out of tradition, even though they no longer serve any functional purpose. countable, uncountable

    "Skeuomorphism is not a thing of the past nor is it limited to traditional crafts. It is found today in countless articles being made from plastic for the first time."

  2. 2
    A user interface style characterized by ornate use of photorealistic textures, shadows, and often glossy highlights, mimicking a three-dimensional render. countable, uncountable

Example

More examples

"Skeuomorphism is not a thing of the past nor is it limited to traditional crafts. It is found today in countless articles being made from plastic for the first time."

Etymology

From Ancient Greek σκεῦος (skeûos, “implement”) + -morphism, or skeuomorph + -ism.

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