1
2
a
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of architecture developed in northern France and spreading through western Europe from the middle of the 12th century to the early 16th century that is characterized by the converging of weights and strains at isolated points upon slender vertical piers and counterbalancing buttresses and by pointed arches and vaulting
Gothic cathedrals
b
: of or relating to an architectural style reflecting the influence of the medieval Gothic
3
often not capitalized
: of or relating to a style of fiction characterized by the use of desolate or remote settings and macabre, mysterious, or violent incidents
Gothic novels
1
a
b
2
: Gothic art style or decoration
specifically
: the Gothic architectural style
3
: the East Germanic language of the Goths see Indo-European Languages Table
4
often not capitalized
: a novel, film, or play in the gothic style
Examples of Gothic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jamie Carter, Travel + Leisure, 20 Jan. 2025
Georgetown’s Healy Hall, with its impressive clock tower is one of America’s last large-scale High Victorian Gothic buildings.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 19 Jan. 2025
Street signs and official documents are in two languages, Gothic and Baroque architecture are juxtaposed with Art Nouveau and fascist buildings, and German-speaking tourists sip Aperol spritzes in the sun in Piazza Walther.
—Ann Abel, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
The book ends up a fleet, au courant Gothic thriller, complete with deepfake conspiracies and class commentary and lesbian innuendo.
—Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for Gothic 
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Noun
You’ll be taken through the 15th-century mansion, which underwent a lavish Victorian Gothic transformation during the 19th century when John Crichton-Stuart, the third Marquess of Bute, owned the castle.
—Jamie Carter, Travel + Leisure, 20 Jan. 2025
Georgetown’s Healy Hall, with its impressive clock tower is one of America’s last large-scale High Victorian Gothic buildings.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 19 Jan. 2025
Street signs and official documents are in two languages, Gothic and Baroque architecture are juxtaposed with Art Nouveau and fascist buildings, and German-speaking tourists sip Aperol spritzes in the sun in Piazza Walther.
—Ann Abel, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
The book ends up a fleet, au courant Gothic thriller, complete with deepfake conspiracies and class commentary and lesbian innuendo.
—Joumana Khatib, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for Gothic
Dictionary Entries Near Gothic
Cite this Entry
“Gothic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gothic. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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