sartorial

adjective

sar·​to·​ri·​al sär-ˈtȯr-ē-əl 

sər-,

sə-

: of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes

broadly : of or relating to clothes

poor sartorial taste

sartorially

sär-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-lē 

adverb

Did you know?

It's easy to uncover the root of sartorial. Just strip off the suffix -ial and you discover the Latin noun sartor, meaning "tailor" (literally, "one who patches or mends"). Sartorial splendor has been the stuff of voguish magazines for years, and even sartor itself has occasionally proven fashionable, as it did in 1843, when Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote of "coats whose memory turns the sartor pale," or in the 1870 title The Sartor, or British journal of cutting, clothing, and fashion. Sartorial has been in style with English speakers since at least 1823.

Examples of sartorial in a Sentence

They accused him of having poor sartorial taste.

The wedding party arrived in sartorial splendor.

Recent Examples on the Web

Vogue: Having grown up in the spotlight with a father renowned for his iconic roles and sartorial elegance, and a mother who herself is a style maven, how have their respective influences shaped your perspective on fashion? —Shelton Boyd-Griffith, Vogue, 1 Jan. 2025

In a time when trends are shifting monthly, or sometimes even weekly, the sartorial freedom of early 2000s fashion seems to be resonating with Gen-Z-ers currently dictating fashion. —Rosana Lai, Glamour, 30 Dec. 2024

Chess champion Magnus Carlsen pulled off a sartorial checkmate after returning to a recent tournament despite wearing an article of clothing banned by its dress code: jeans. —Danielle Jennings, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024

And while these gals reluctantly posing for a photo are strong contenders for queens of the category, this gentleman entered the race strong with his own sartorial commentary. —Julie Klausner, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin sartor

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

sartorial

adjective

sar·​to·​ri·​al sär-ˈtōr-ē-əl 

-ˈtȯr-

: of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes

sartorially

-ē-ə-lē 

adverb