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Glite Dictionary
traditional attire

traditional attire

1 3.6
Clothes that people in a culture wear for ceremonies or festivals
  • noun
translation icon : atuendo tradicional
  • In our community, wearing traditional attire during ceremonies is a way to honor our ancestors and preserve our history.

Examples

  • The large, gaudy turbans of the native males, women wrapped in exquisite jewelry from head to toe, and children dressed in colorful, traditional attire are a sight to be remembered.

    Academic text (2009)

  • According to Gilbert Chishala, whenever Mwata is dressed in his traditional attire, Masumba must stand close to him acting as a chief retainer.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Folk artists carve wooden figures of Andinos in traditional attire or mold them into brightly colored caricatures of rural markets, houses, or buses.

    Academic text (1996)

  • What is interesting about this narrative is that the young Shan groom is comfortable wearing Western clothing (perhaps valued higher) but finds the Burmese traditional attire to be an obstacle.

    Academic text (2016)

  • During the festival, children proudly wore their colorful traditional attire to celebrate their heritage.

  • The dancers performed beautifully in elaborate traditional attire that reflected their cultural roots.

Synonyms

dress
vstraditional attire
333 1.0

Clothes of a particular style or for a special occasion

highlights cultural characteristics and ritual use rather than simple style
attire
vstraditional attire
  • Formal
51 4.3

Clothes for special or formal occasions, like a suit

is tied to cultural tradition and ceremonies rather than general formality
costume
vstraditional attire
47 3.0

Clothing style typical of a country, time period, or social group

is specific to cultural ceremonies and festivals rather than any general style
garb
vstraditional attire
24 6.5

Clothes of a special type worn for a role or occasion

focuses on cultural identity and traditional use rather than role or job

Antonyms

contemporary
219 4.2

Belonging to the present time, often showing modern ideas

How Traditional

traditional attire
1 3.6
costume
47 3.0
casual
81 1.3

Surface Forms

traditional attire singular
traditional attires plural

Morphology

traditional + attire

The compound meaning is directly derived from its parts: 'traditional' (relating to customs passed down) + 'attire' (clothing), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to culturally characteristic clothing. This is a straightforward, compositional phrase found cross-linguistically and follows normal adjective+noun patterns, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Traditional attire comes from the image of special clothes that people pass down and wear at ceremonies and festivals. The word traditional means 'old customs' and attire means 'clothes', so the phrase now means the clothing that is typical for a culture or community.