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Victorian era

Victorian era

4 6.0
The period in Britain when Queen Victoria ruled, 1837 to 1901
  • noun
  • /vɪkˈtɔriən ˈɛrə/
translation icon : era victoriana
  • During the Victorian era, strict moral codes influenced literature and art throughout Britain.

The smaller ones you know have been minted right back to the Victorian era.

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Examples

  • During the Victorian era, musical appreciation was a sign of status and was displayed in wardrobe and household decoration.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The Victorian era, with its heady mix of empire and colonialism, corruption and constraint, provided a rich source of material.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Even the smell seems to be from the Victorian era.

  • Not like the ones from the Victorian era!

  • I was a child of the Victorian era.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The Victorian era was indeed an age of ephemera.

    Academic text (2018)
  • With the advent of photography in the Victorian era, a rather unusual practice evolved.

    Blog text (1)
  • Recently, historians have focused their attention on the cultural pursuits of Americans during the Victorian era.

    Academic text (1998)
  • I was accustomed to the open, relaxed expanse of the country, and now, I was in the heart of London, at the height of the Victorian era.

  • In response to abuses from such wage-labor contractual arrangements, the Victorian era ushered in modern labor legislation.

    Academic text (2008)

Synonyms

Victorian age
vsVictorian era
1 6.7

A time in British history from 1837 to 1901 with strict social rules and many grand buildings

focuses more on political structures and broader national characteristics

Surface Forms

Victorian era singular

Morphology

Victorian + era

The phrase combines 'Victorian' (relating to the period of Queen Victoria) with 'era' (a span of time), so the overall meaning is directly derivable from its parts. This adjectival + noun composition is a common, compositional pattern found across languages, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.

Etymology

Victorian era comes from Queen Victoria, who was the queen of Britain from 1837 to 1901. So today Victorian era means 'the time when she ruled', often remembered for strict social rules and the rise of factories and new machines.