Byzantine

1 of 2

adjective

Byz·​an·​tine ˈbi-zᵊn-ˌtēn 

ˈbī-,

-ˌtīn;

bə-ˈzan-ˌtēn,

bī-ˈzan- 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient city of Byzantium

Byzantine art

2

architecture : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of architecture developed in the Byzantine Empire especially in the fifth and sixth centuries featuring the dome carried on pendentives over a square and incrustation with marble veneering and with colored mosaics on grounds of gold

3

Christianity : of or relating to the churches using a traditional Greek rite and subject to Eastern (see eastern sense 2) canon law

4

often not capitalized

a

: of, relating to, or characterized by a devious and usually surreptitious manner of operation

a Byzantine power struggle

b

: intricately involved : labyrinthine

rules of Byzantine complexity

Byzantine

2 of 2

noun

: a native or inhabitant of Byzantium

Did you know?

Byzantine, a Word for History Buffs

Today, the city that lies on the Bosporus Strait in Turkey is named Istanbul, but it was once known as Constantinople (a name given to it when it became the capital of the Byzantine Empire, aka the eastern half of the Roman Empire), and in ancient times, it was called Byzantium. Its history is legendary—filled with mystics, wars, and political infighting—and over time the word Byzantine (from the Late Latin word Byzantinus, the name for a native of Byzantium) became synonymous in English with anything characteristic of the city or empire, from architecture to intrigue. The figurative sense used to describe that which is intricately involved and not easily understood first appeared in the early 20th century.

Synonyms

Adjective

• baroque
• complex
• complicate
• complicated
• convoluted
• daedal
• elaborate
• intricate
• involute
• involved
• knotty
• labyrinthian
• labyrinthine
• sophisticated
• tangled

Examples of Byzantine in a Sentence

Adjective

spent his first year at the Pentagon just trying to fathom its byzantine workings

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Petra’s location linking East and West—which swiftly enriched the city and, by extension, the entire Nabataean Kingdom—is reflected in its distinctive rock-cut architecture, which infuses Nabataean architecture with Hellenistic and Byzantine features. —Hannah Edgar, ARTnews.com, 25 Feb. 2025

The devil is in the details when delving into the Byzantine world of health care, but Illinois consumers have an intense interest in both lowering their prescription costs and preserving their corner drugstore. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2025

When a federal employee retires, the workers gather the employee’s personnel records and go through a Byzantine series of calculations to determine the worker’s benefits. —Jess Bidgood, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025

The garment took two of the atelier’s seamstresses more than 600 hours — or 25 days — to stitch by hand and is embellished with Swarovski crystals, golden embroidery featuring Byzantine crosses and Versace’s signature draping inspired by Ancient Greek peplum dresses. —Lisa Klaassen and Serene Nourrisson, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1651, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Byzantine

• acridine
• alkaline
• andesine
• anodyne
• anticline
• arginine
• asinine
• atropine
• benzidine
• borderline
• calamine
• caroline

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Kids Definition

Byzantine

1 of 2 noun

Byz·​an·​tine ˈbiz-ən-ˌtēn  bə-ˈzan- 

ˈbīz-ən-;

ˈbiz-ən-ˌtīn

: a person born or living in Byzantium or in the Byzantine Empire

Byzantine

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of, relating to, or typical of Byzantium or the Eastern Roman Empire

2

: of or relating to a style of architecture developed in the Byzantine Empire especially in the 5th and 6th centuries characterized by a central dome over a square space and by much use of mosaics