period piece

noun

: a work (as of literature, art, furniture, cinema, or music) whose special value lies in its evocation of a historical period

Examples of period piece in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Oddly enough, her two Best Actress plays are both black-and-white, European period pieces, but while Rose is full of gender-bending swagger, Fatherland is a more subdued performance. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 Director Robert Eggers delivers a taut, terrifying period piece with this tale of a 17th-century New England family expelled from their village and stalked by a witch — a movie that also put the then-fledgling studio A24 on the map. — David Faris, TheWeek, 20 Oct. 2026 The details play like a movie, the tender indie sort, a period piece, a portrait of the nation before the 1960s truly kicked in. — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026 Part of that was based on a desire to make the period piece feel more accessible. — Mya Copeland, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for period piece

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of period piece was in 1909

Rhymes for period piece

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Browse Nearby Words

periodoscope
period piece
perioeci
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Cite this Entry

“Period piece.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/period%20piece. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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