pastiche

noun

pas·tiche pa-ˈstēsh

pä-

Synonyms of pastiche next

: a literary, artistic, musical, or architectural work that imitates the style of previous work

His building designs are pastiches based on classical forms.

also : such stylistic imitation

: a musical, literary, or artistic composition made up of selections from different works : potpourri

The research paper was essentially a pastiche made up of passages from different sources.

: hodgepodge

The house is decorated in a pastiche of Asian styles.

pasticheur

ˌpa-stē-ˈshər

ˌpä-

noun

Did you know?

When we say the origins of the word pastiche are totally tubular, we’re not just being saucy—we mean it. In Italian, pasticcio (more specifically pasticcio di maccheroni) refers to a decadent pie consisting of a sweet crust filled with meat, truffles, béchamel, and macaroni—that famously tube-shaped pasta. Given such a jumble of (albeit delicious) ingredients, it makes sense that pasticcio in Italian has also long carried such additional meanings as “a mess or confused affair” and “a confused or mixed piece of writing.” It is these meanings that influenced both the English word pasticcio, in use since the 18th century, and the French word pastiche, which English borrowed in the late 19th century and which is now much more common. Both refer to hodgepodges of all kinds, but are most often applied to creative works—literary, artistic, musical, architectural, etc.—that imitate earlier styles or that are made up of parts from other works. A pastiche, you might say, takes a little bit of this and a little bit of that, not unlike the English language itself.

Examples of pastiche in a Sentence

His earlier building designs were pastiches based on classical forms. With this work she goes beyond pastiche. The research paper was essentially a pastiche made up of passages from different sources. The house is decorated in a pastiche of Asian styles.

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actress Samantha Robinson plays the titular character, a potion-making seductress whose attempt to find her Prince Charming has disastrous consequences, in this singular and highly-stylized pastiche of '60s movies. —

Clark Collis, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024 There is a pastiche of Pep Guardiola that has not so much endured during his time away from football this summer but flourished because of it. —

Sam Lee, The Athletic, 16 July 2024 Physically and textually, Das Ersatz is a sweet, jittery Gen-Z pastiche, a postmodern pantomime that splatters the walls with swooning angst, along with a barrage of citations both high and low, without losing its soft belly or its warm heart. —

Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 June 2024 These pastiches are often assembled from fragments of genuine ancient artifacts. —

Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pastiche