Zolaesqueadjective
Factsheet
What does the adjective Zolaesque mean?
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the adjective Zolaesque. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the adjective Zolaesque?
| 1880 | 0.0086 |
| 1890 | 0.0097 |
| 1900 | 0.01 |
| 1910 | 0.011 |
| 1920 | 0.013 |
| 1930 | 0.014 |
| 1940 | 0.015 |
| 1950 | 0.014 |
| 1960 | 0.014 |
| 1970 | 0.013 |
| 1980 | 0.011 |
| 1990 | 0.011 |
| 2000 | 0.0093 |
| 2010 | 0.0079 |
How is the adjective Zolaesque pronounced?
British English
Where does the adjective Zolaesque come from?
Earliest known use
1880s
The earliest known use of the adjective Zolaesque is in the 1880s.
OED's earliest evidence for Zolaesque is from 1886, in Pall Mall Gazette.
Nearby entries
- Zoilitical, adj.1665
- Zoilous, adj.1577–
- Zoilus, n.1565–
- zoisite, n.1805–
- zoism, n.1900–
- zoist, n.1843–
- zoistic, adj.1849–
- zoite, n.1963–
- -zoite, comb. form
- zol, n.1946–
- Zolaesque, adj.1886–
- Zolaism, n.1882–
- Zolaist, n.1886–
- Zolaize, v.1886–
- Zollinger–Ellison syndrome, n.1956–
- Zöllner, n.1890–
- zollverein, n.1843–
- zolotnik, n.1783–
- zombie, n.1788–
- zombie apocalypse, n.1982–
- zombied, adj.1972–
Meaning & use
- 1886–Characteristic of or resembling the style of Zola.
- 1886
Mr. Moore's Zolaesque search for characteristic phrases has led him into some startling extravagances.
Pall Mall Gazette 14 July 5/2 - 1903
The mean circumstances of his Bohemian career, and the terribly brutal, Zolaesque scene of his death-chamber.
in C. M. Gayley, Representative Eng. Comedies vol. I. 387
society leisure the arts literature literary world [adjectives] relating to or characteristic of specific writer- Lucianical1561–1641Pertaining to or characteristic of Lucian and his style; marked by a scoffing wit.
- Xenophontean1593–Pertaining to, characteristic of, described by, or resembling (that of) Xenophon.
- Sidneian1599–Of, relating to, or characteristic of Sir Philip Sidney or his works.
- Anastasian1621–Of or relating to the papal librarian, author, and translator Anastasius Bibliothecarius (810–878), or to his works.
- Theophrastical1662
- Menippean1693–Characteristic of, exhibiting, or resembling the style of satirical writing associated with Menippus, esp. in the use of parody or burlesque and…
- Varronian1693–Of or pertaining to the Roman author M. Terentius Varro (116–27 b.c.); admitted as genuine by Varro.
- Herodotean1748–Of or relating to Herodotus; spec. reminiscent or characteristic of his historical writing, esp. in being very large in scope, extremely…
- Shaftesburian1752–Of or pertaining to the moral philosophy or literary style of Anthony Ashley Cooper, third Earl of Shaftesbury (1671–1713), author of…
- Cervantic1760–Characteristic of or resembling the style of Cervantes.
- Alfredian1762–Of, associated with, or characteristic of King Alfred the Great, his writings, or his language.
- Swiftian1762–Pertaining to or characteristic of Swift or his works.
- Richardsonian1763–Characteristic or reminiscent of the style, form, or content of the works of Samuel Richardson.
- Pepysian1765–Of, belonging to, or characteristic of Samuel Pepys, his library, or the age in which he lived; (of a written record or account) resembling the…
- Rabelaica1768–= Rabelaisian, adj.
- Rabelaisian1769–Relating to, characteristic of, or resembling Rabelais or his satirical writings, which are noted for their earthy humour, their parody of medieval…
- Johnsonian1775–Of, belonging to, or characteristic of Samuel Johnson or his literary style. Cf. Johnsonese, adj.
- Radcliffian1801–Characteristic or reminiscent of the style, form, or content of the works of Ann Radcliffe, esp. in regard to their Gothic quality.
- Southeyan1817–Of, relating to, or characteristic of Robert Southey or his style, language, or imagery.
- Lucianic1820–
- Xenophontic1822–
- Thucydidean1826–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Thucydides or his work.
- Walter Scottish1827–Of or characteristic of Sir Walter Scott, his writings, or his style.
- Voltairean1833–Of, belonging to, or resembling Voltaire; holding opinions like those of Voltaire, or expressing them in his style.
- Juvenalian1839–Characteristic of Juvenal, the Roman satirist.
- Dickens-like1841–Befitting or typical of Charles Dickens; resembling his writings or style; (also) reminiscent of the places, people, etc., described in the…
- Dickensian1842–Of or relating to Charles Dickens; belonging to or created by Dickens.
- Voltairish1842–Resembling Voltaire.
- Hazlittian1844–Of, relating to, or characteristic of the English critic and essayist William Hazlitt (1778–1830) or his work.
- Theocritean1846–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Theocritus or his writings, esp. his pastoral poetry; of the style of Theocritus; hence pastoral, idyllic.
- Dickensish1849–Resembling or characteristic of the writings or style of Charles Dickens; typical of Dickens; (also) reminiscent of the places, situations, etc…
- Ruskinian1850–Of, relating to, or characteristic of Ruskin or his writings.
- Ruskinesque1854–Characteristic of Ruskin or his writings.
- Dickensy1855–Resembling the writings or style of Charles Dickens; characteristic of Dickens; (also) reminiscent of the people, situations, etc., described in…
- Dickenesque1856–Resembling the writings or style of Charles Dickens; reminiscent of the places, situations, etc., described in the writings of Dickens; = Dickensesque…
- Macaulayesque1856–Characteristic of or resembling Lord Macaulay, his historical method, or (esp.) his literary style.
- Ruskinite1856–= Ruskinian, adj.
- Thackerayan1857–Of or pertaining to, or characteristic of, William Makepeace Thackeray or his works.
- Ruskinese1863–= Ruskinesque, adj.
- Macaulayish1865–= Macaulayan, adj.
- Walpolian1867–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Horace Walpole or his writings. Also applied to neo-Gothic architecture of a type popularized by Horace…
- Dickensesque1868–Resembling the writings or style of Charles Dickens, esp. in having vivid descriptive passages, satirical observation of society, and humour and…
- Voltairianized1872–
- Baconian1874–In modern times used with reference to the theory that Francis Bacon wrote the plays attributed to Shakespeare.
- Balzacian1874–Of or pertaining to or characteristic of Balzac or his style.
- Morrisian1879–Of, relating to, or resembling the work (esp. the decorative fabrics and wallpapers) of William Morris; (also) characteristic of Morris, or of his…
- Isidorian1882–Of or pertaining to Isidorus or Isidore; spec. to St. Isidore, archbishop of Seville 600–636, author of several historical and ecclesiastical…
- Poe-like1882–Reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe or his work; = Poe-esque, adj.
- Peacockian1886–Of, relating to, or characteristic of Peacock or his writing.
- Poe-esque1886–Of, relating to, or reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe or his work: spec. macabre, Gothic. Also as n.
- Zolaesque1886–Characteristic of or resembling the style of Zola.
- Macaulayan1887–Relating to or modelled on Macaulay's method or style.
- Bunyanesque1888–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of either (a) John Bunyan (1628–88), the English writer, or (b) Paul Bunyan, the legendary American hero.
- Fieldingesque1888–Of, relating to, or characteristic of Fielding, his writings, or his (often picaresque) style.
- Junian1888–Of or pertaining to the ‘Letters of Junius’, a series of letters which appeared in the Public Advertiser, 1768–1772, the authorship of which is one…
- Meredithian1888–Of, relating to, or characteristic of George Meredith or his writings.
- Tacitean1890–Pertaining to Tacitus, or resembling his dense sententious style.
- Hugoesque1893–Resembling the character or style of V. Hugo. Also substantively with the.
- Hardyesque1894–Characteristic or suggestive of Thomas Hardy or his work. Cf. Hardyan, adj.
- Kiplingesque1894–Resembling Kipling in style.
- Shawian1894–= Shavian, adj.
- Maeterlinckian1895–Of, relating to, or having the characteristics of Maeterlinck or his writings.
- Dickinsonian1896–Of, relating to, or reminiscent of Emily Dickinson or her work.
- Stevensonian1897–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of R. L. Stevenson or his writings. Also as n., an admirer of R. L. Stevenson or of his writings.
- Austenish1898–Characteristic of Jane Austen's work.
- Austenian1901–Of or pertaining to Jane Austen, novelist, 1775–1817, or her writings.
- Leverish1903–
- Pateresque1903–Of, relating to, or characteristic of the English writer Walter Pater or his writings or aesthetics. Cf. Paterian, adj.
- Trollopian1903–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the English novelist Anthony Trollope (1815–82) or his writings.
- Yeatsian1903–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Yeats or his writing.
- Malorian1904–Relating to or characteristic of Sir Thomas Malory or his style of writing.
- Shavian1904–Relating to, characteristic of, or resembling George Bernard Shaw or his works or opinions.
- Brontesque1905–= Brontëan, adj.
- Chestertonian1905–Of, pertaining to, resembling, or characteristic of the English author Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936) or his writings.
- Jamesian1905–Of or pertaining to the American (later naturalized British) writer Henry James (1843–1916) or his works. Also as n., a follower or admirer of Henry…
- Leveresque1905–Characteristic of the novels of Charles Lever in matter or style.
- Jacobean1906–Of or pertaining to Henry James (1843–1916), American novelist and critic.
- Carrollese1907–Resembling, or characteristic of, the style of ‘Lewis Carroll’ (C. L. Dodgson (1832–98), author of ‘Alice's Adventures in Wonderland’).
- Hardyan1907–Of or characteristic of Thomas Hardy or his work. Cf. Hardyesque, adj.
- Stendhalian1907–Characteristic or suggestive of the writings of Stendhal.
- Turgenevian1908–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Turgenev or his writings.
- Ouidaesque1909–Characteristic or suggestive of the novels of ‘Ouida’; spec. (of a male character) impossibly perfect; handsome and accomplished to an implausible…
- Galsworthian1912–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of John Galsworthy or his work.
- Poeish1915–Of, relating to, or reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe or his work; = Poe-esque, adj.
- Paterian1918–= Pateresque, adj.
- Sitwellian1920–Of, relating to, or characteristic of Edith Sitwell (1887–1964), Osbert Sitwell (1892–1969), or Sacheverell Sitwell (1897–1988), siblings and…
- Conradian1921–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Joseph Conrad (1857–1924), Polish-born writer of novels in English, or his work.
- Mallarméan1924–Of or relating to the works or theories of Mallarmé.
- Theophrastian1924–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Theophrastus or his writings, esp. his Characters, a set of thirty sketches on disagreeable aspects of human…
- Wildean1924–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the Irish writer Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (1854–1900), or his works.
- Woolfian1924–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), English writer, or her work.
- Joycean1925–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Joyce or his work.
- Pirandellian1925–Of, resembling, or characteristic of Pirandello or his plays, esp. with reference to the relationship between illusion and reality.
- Proustian1925–Of, relating to, or characteristic of Proust, his writings, or his style, particularly with reference to the recovery of the lost past and the…
- Flaubertian1926–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Flaubert.
- Wodehousian1926–Of, relating to, or characteristic of P. G. Wodehouse or his works, esp. his comic fiction.
- Stracheyan1927–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Strachey or his style of writing.
- Theophrastic1928–
- Lawrentian1930–Of or pertaining to the English author D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930), or his work or style of writing.
- Firbankian1931–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Ronald Firbank or his works and opinions.
- Melvillean1931–Of, relating to, or characteristic of Herman Melville or his works, esp. the sea stories.
- Leavisite1934–Of, relating to, or characteristic of the literary critic F. R. Leavis, his writings and ideas, or his followers; = Leavisian, adj.
- Runyonesque1934–Of, relating to, or characteristic of Damon Runyon or his style, language, or imagery; esp. characterized by plot or language suggestive of…
- Kafka1936–Used attributively.
- Kafkaesque1936–Of, relating to, or characteristic of the writings of Franz Kafka; resembling or reminiscent of the state of affairs or a state of mind described…
- Twainian1938–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of ‘Mark Twain’ or his work.
- Rilkean1939–Of, relating to, or characteristic of Rilke or his work.
- Audenesque1940–Resembling in matter, style, or quality the works of Wystan Hugh Auden, poet and critic.
- Hemingwayesque1942–Characteristic of the works of E. Hemingway.
- Brontëan1945–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of, the Brontës (esp. the sisters Charlotte (1816–55), Emily (1818–48), and Anne (1820–49)), or their literary…
- Leavisian1947–= Leavisite, adj.
- Morrisan1949–= Morrisian, adj.
- Orwellian1950–Characteristic or suggestive of the writings of George Orwell, esp. of the totalitarian state depicted in his dystopian account of the future, Nine…
- Faulknerian1951–Of or pertaining to (the writings of) William Faulkner (1897–1962), American novelist.
- Hemingwayan1951–
- Greeneian1952–Of, relating to, or characteristic of Graham Greene, his writings, or his style.
- Arnoldian1953–Belonging to or characteristic of either Thomas Arnold or his son Matthew Arnold.
- Thurberesque1954–Of or pertaining to the American cartoonist and writer James Thurber (1894–1961), the characters in his work, or his style of writing or drawing.
- Tolkienian1954–Of or pertaining to Tolkien or his writings.
- Beckettian1958–Relating to or characteristic of the plays and novels of Samuel Beckett; spec. designating a bleak and sometimes comic atmosphere of spiritual…
- Hemingwayish1959–
- Nabokovian1959–Of or relating to Vladimir Nabokov; resembling or characteristic of his writing, esp. its ironic, witty, or erudite style.
- Pinteresque1960–Of or relating to Harold Pinter; resembling or characteristic of his plays. Also occasionally as n.
- Pinterish1960–= Pinteresque, adj.
- Vernean1960–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the science fiction of Jules Verne.
- Waughian1960–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Evelyn Waugh or his writing.
- Bradleian1961–Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of: (a) the English idealist philosopher Francis Herbert Bradley (1846–1924) or his writings; or (b) his…
- Gravesian1961–Resembling in matter, style, or quality the work or manner of Robert Ranke Graves, poet, novelist, and man of letters.
- Kafkian1962–(attributive) = Kafkaesque, adj.
- Jules Vernean1964–
- Snovian1966–Of or pertaining to the writings or ideas of C. P. Snow.
- Pinterian1967–= Pinteresque, adj.
- Lucianesque1969–In a Lucianic style.
- Tolkienesque1970–Characteristic of or resembling Tolkien or his writings.
- Thoreauvian1975–Resembling or characteristic of Thoreau's writing or philosophy.
- Stubbsian1979–Of or pertaining to William Stubbs (1825–1901), historian and Bishop of Oxford, or his historical opinions.
Pronunciation
British English
Consonants
- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing
Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence
Vowels
- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)
Other symbols
- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.
View the pronunciation model here.
Frequency
Zolaesque typically occurs about 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.
Zolaesque is in frequency band 3, which contains words occurring between 0.01 and 0.1 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands
Frequency of Zolaesque, adj., 1880–2010
* Occurrences per million words in written English
Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.
The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.
For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.
Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.
| Decade | Frequency per million words |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 0.0086 |
| 1890 | 0.0097 |
| 1900 | 0.01 |
| 1910 | 0.011 |
| 1920 | 0.013 |
| 1930 | 0.014 |
| 1940 | 0.015 |
| 1950 | 0.014 |
| 1960 | 0.014 |
| 1970 | 0.013 |
| 1980 | 0.011 |
| 1990 | 0.011 |
| 2000 | 0.0093 |
| 2010 | 0.0079 |