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
The story is sort of like Pacific Rim as a period piece, dropping an alien invasion right in the middle of the Song dynasty, and stars Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal as soldiers of fortune who get wrapped up in the Chinese army’s fight against the alien forces.
—
Tres Dean, Vulture, 25 July 2025
This smart, stylish Italian period piece is inspired by the life of Lidia Poët (Matilda De Angelis), who faced legal challenges in her quest to become a lawyer in the late 1880s.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 13 July 2025
Meanwhile, the final two sentences are painfully inspirational therapy-speak—which would be cringe-worthy enough in a contemporary novel but sound jarringly anachronistic in the context of a 19th century period piece.
—Judy Berman, Time, 11 July 2025
But Oppenheimer is a talky period piece, an exploration of a man and his mind, with only a flash-forward warning about doomsday tacked on to the ending.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for period piece
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.
Tres Dean, Vulture, 25 July 2025
This smart, stylish Italian period piece is inspired by the life of Lidia Poët (Matilda De Angelis), who faced legal challenges in her quest to become a lawyer in the late 1880s.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 13 July 2025
Meanwhile, the final two sentences are painfully inspirational therapy-speak—which would be cringe-worthy enough in a contemporary novel but sound jarringly anachronistic in the context of a 19th century period piece.
—Judy Berman, Time, 11 July 2025
But Oppenheimer is a talky period piece, an exploration of a man and his mind, with only a flash-forward warning about doomsday tacked on to the ending.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for period piece
Cite this Entry
“Period piece.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/period%20piece. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share