1. scholarly study of Asian cultures, languages, and societies, especially those of the Middle East and East Asia
Usage: academic
2. artistic style that depicts or imitates Asian themes, motifs, or aesthetics
Usage: art; design
3. Western attitudes and stereotypes about Eastern cultures that emphasize their perceived exoticism or otherness
Usage: critical theory; often considered problematic

Examples

• The university’s orientalism department offers courses in Arabic and Persian literature.
• His paintings showed a clear influence of orientalism with their Middle Eastern themes.
• The scholar criticized the novel’s orientalism and its stereotypical portrayal of Asian characters.
• Orientalism in 19th-century European art often romanticized life in the Ottoman Empire.
• Edward Said’s book examined how orientalism shaped Western perceptions of the East.
• The museum’s orientalism collection includes ceramics and textiles from various Asian cultures.