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

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.
This may be a period piece, but the audience will go home, turn on the news and see similar things happening. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2025 On Wednesday, People published the one-minute 18-second trailer for the 1880s period piece, which will release May 2. Baldwin, 67, stars as outlaw Harland Rust who finds himself on the run with his young grandson after the 13-year-old is sentenced to hang for an accidental killing. Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025 And then this seeming period piece about aggression and psychological projection pulls a trick. Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2025 What begins as a deep Southern gangster period piece soon transforms into a harrowing fight for survival and spiritual freedom against a ruthless clan of vampires. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 4 Apr. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Period piece.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/period%20piece. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!