Zolaesque, adj.

zolaesque
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zolaesque_adj%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 1921; not fully revised

# 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?

About 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English

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

/zəʊləˈrɛsk/

### 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

1. Zoilitical, adj. 1665
2. Zoilous, adj. 1577–
3. Zoilus, n. 1565–
4. zoisite, n. 1805–
5. zoism, n. 1900–
6. zoist, n. 1843–
7. zoistic, adj. 1849–
8. zoite, n. 1963–
9. -zoite, comb. form
10. zol, n. 1946–
11. Zolaesque, adj.1886–
12. Zolaism, n. 1882–
13. Zolaist, n. 1886–
14. Zolaize, v. 1886–
15. Zollinger–Ellison syndrome, n. 1956–
16. Zöllner, n. 1890–
17. zollverein, n. 1843–
18. zolotnik, n. 1783–
19. zombie, n. 1788–
20. zombie apocalypse, n. 1982–
21. zombied, adj. 1972–

## Meaning & use

1. 1886–
   Characteristic of or resembling the style of Zola.
   1. 1886

      > Mr. Moore's Zolaesque search for characteristic phrases has led him into some startling extravagances.

      Pall Mall Gazette 14 July 5/2
   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
   literature
   1. Lucianical 1561–1641
      Pertaining to or characteristic of Lucian and his style; marked by a scoffing wit.
   2. Xenophontean 1593–
      Pertaining to, characteristic of, described by, or resembling (that of) Xenophon.
   3. Sidneian 1599–
      Of, relating to, or characteristic of Sir Philip Sidney or his works.
   4. Anastasian 1621–
      Of or relating to the papal librarian, author, and translator Anastasius Bibliothecarius (810–878), or to his works.
   5. Theophrastical 1662
   6. Menippean 1693–
      Characteristic of, exhibiting, or resembling the style of satirical writing associated with Menippus, esp. in the use of parody or burlesque and…
   7. Varronian 1693–
      Of or pertaining to the Roman author M. Terentius Varro (116–27 b.c.); admitted as genuine by Varro.
   8. Herodotean 1748–
      Of or relating to Herodotus; spec. reminiscent or characteristic of his historical writing, esp. in being very large in scope, extremely…
   9. Shaftesburian 1752–
      Of or pertaining to the moral philosophy or literary style of Anthony Ashley Cooper, third Earl of Shaftesbury (1671–1713), author of…
   10. Cervantic 1760–
       Characteristic of or resembling the style of Cervantes.
   11. Alfredian 1762–
       Of, associated with, or characteristic of King Alfred the Great, his writings, or his language.
   12. Swiftian 1762–
       Pertaining to or characteristic of Swift or his works.
   13. Richardsonian 1763–
       Characteristic or reminiscent of the style, form, or content of the works of Samuel Richardson.
   14. Pepysian 1765–
       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…
   15. Rabelaic a1768–
       = Rabelaisian, adj.
   16. Rabelaisian 1769–
       Relating to, characteristic of, or resembling Rabelais or his satirical writings, which are noted for their earthy humour, their parody of medieval…
   17. Johnsonian 1775–
       Of, belonging to, or characteristic of Samuel Johnson or his literary style. Cf. Johnsonese, adj.
   18. Radcliffian 1801–
       Characteristic or reminiscent of the style, form, or content of the works of Ann Radcliffe, esp. in regard to their Gothic quality.
   19. Southeyan 1817–
       Of, relating to, or characteristic of Robert Southey or his style, language, or imagery.
   20. Lucianic 1820–
   21. Xenophontic 1822–
   22. Thucydidean 1826–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Thucydides or his work.
   23. Walter Scottish 1827–
       Of or characteristic of Sir Walter Scott, his writings, or his style.
   24. Voltairean 1833–
       Of, belonging to, or resembling Voltaire; holding opinions like those of Voltaire, or expressing them in his style.
   25. Juvenalian 1839–
       Characteristic of Juvenal, the Roman satirist.
   26. Dickens-like 1841–
       Befitting or typical of Charles Dickens; resembling his writings or style; (also) reminiscent of the places, people, etc., described in the…
   27. Dickensian 1842–
       Of or relating to Charles Dickens; belonging to or created by Dickens.
   28. Voltairish 1842–
       Resembling Voltaire.
   29. Hazlittian 1844–
       Of, relating to, or characteristic of the English critic and essayist William Hazlitt (1778–1830) or his work.
   30. Theocritean 1846–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Theocritus or his writings, esp. his pastoral poetry; of the style of Theocritus; hence pastoral, idyllic.
   31. Dickensish 1849–
       Resembling or characteristic of the writings or style of Charles Dickens; typical of Dickens; (also) reminiscent of the places, situations, etc…
   32. Ruskinian 1850–
       Of, relating to, or characteristic of Ruskin or his writings.
   33. Ruskinesque 1854–
       Characteristic of Ruskin or his writings.
   34. Dickensy 1855–
       Resembling the writings or style of Charles Dickens; characteristic of Dickens; (also) reminiscent of the people, situations, etc., described in…
   35. Dickenesque 1856–
       Resembling the writings or style of Charles Dickens; reminiscent of the places, situations, etc., described in the writings of Dickens; = Dickensesque…
   36. Macaulayesque 1856–
       Characteristic of or resembling Lord Macaulay, his historical method, or (esp.) his literary style.
   37. Ruskinite 1856–
       = Ruskinian, adj.
   38. Thackerayan 1857–
       Of or pertaining to, or characteristic of, William Makepeace Thackeray or his works.
   39. Ruskinese 1863–
       = Ruskinesque, adj.
   40. Macaulayish 1865–
       = Macaulayan, adj.
   41. Walpolian 1867–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Horace Walpole or his writings. Also applied to neo-Gothic architecture of a type popularized by Horace…
   42. Dickensesque 1868–
       Resembling the writings or style of Charles Dickens, esp. in having vivid descriptive passages, satirical observation of society, and humour and…
   43. Voltairianized 1872–
   44. Baconian 1874–
       In modern times used with reference to the theory that Francis Bacon wrote the plays attributed to Shakespeare.
   45. Balzacian 1874–
       Of or pertaining to or characteristic of Balzac or his style.
   46. Morrisian 1879–
       Of, relating to, or resembling the work (esp. the decorative fabrics and wallpapers) of William Morris; (also) characteristic of Morris, or of his…
   47. Isidorian 1882–
       Of or pertaining to Isidorus or Isidore; spec. to St. Isidore, archbishop of Seville 600–636, author of several historical and ecclesiastical…
   48. Poe-like 1882–
       Reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe or his work; = Poe-esque, adj.
   49. Peacockian 1886–
       Of, relating to, or characteristic of Peacock or his writing.
   50. Poe-esque 1886–
       Of, relating to, or reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe or his work: spec. macabre, Gothic. Also as n.
   51. Zolaesque 1886–
       Characteristic of or resembling the style of Zola.
   52. Macaulayan 1887–
       Relating to or modelled on Macaulay's method or style.
   53. Bunyanesque 1888–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of either (a) John Bunyan (1628–88), the English writer, or (b) Paul Bunyan, the legendary American hero.
   54. Fieldingesque 1888–
       Of, relating to, or characteristic of Fielding, his writings, or his (often picaresque) style.
   55. Junian 1888–
       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…
   56. Meredithian 1888–
       Of, relating to, or characteristic of George Meredith or his writings.
   57. Tacitean 1890–
       Pertaining to Tacitus, or resembling his dense sententious style.
   58. Hugoesque 1893–
       Resembling the character or style of V. Hugo. Also substantively with the.
   59. Hardyesque 1894–
       Characteristic or suggestive of Thomas Hardy or his work. Cf. Hardyan, adj.
   60. Kiplingesque 1894–
       Resembling Kipling in style.
   61. Shawian 1894–
       = Shavian, adj.
   62. Maeterlinckian 1895–
       Of, relating to, or having the characteristics of Maeterlinck or his writings.
   63. Dickinsonian 1896–
       Of, relating to, or reminiscent of Emily Dickinson or her work.
   64. Stevensonian 1897–
       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.
   65. Austenish 1898–
       Characteristic of Jane Austen's work.
   66. Austenian 1901–
       Of or pertaining to Jane Austen, novelist, 1775–1817, or her writings.
   67. Leverish 1903–
   68. Pateresque 1903–
       Of, relating to, or characteristic of the English writer Walter Pater or his writings or aesthetics. Cf. Paterian, adj.
   69. Trollopian 1903–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the English novelist Anthony Trollope (1815–82) or his writings.
   70. Yeatsian 1903–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Yeats or his writing.
   71. Malorian 1904–
       Relating to or characteristic of Sir Thomas Malory or his style of writing.
   72. Shavian 1904–
       Relating to, characteristic of, or resembling George Bernard Shaw or his works or opinions.
   73. Brontesque 1905–
       = Brontëan, adj.
   74. Chestertonian 1905–
       Of, pertaining to, resembling, or characteristic of the English author Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936) or his writings.
   75. Jamesian 1905–
       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…
   76. Leveresque 1905–
       Characteristic of the novels of Charles Lever in matter or style.
   77. Jacobean 1906–
       Of or pertaining to Henry James (1843–1916), American novelist and critic.
   78. Carrollese 1907–
       Resembling, or characteristic of, the style of ‘Lewis Carroll’ (C. L. Dodgson (1832–98), author of ‘Alice's Adventures in Wonderland’).
   79. Hardyan 1907–
       Of or characteristic of Thomas Hardy or his work. Cf. Hardyesque, adj.
   80. Stendhalian 1907–
       Characteristic or suggestive of the writings of Stendhal.
   81. Turgenevian 1908–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Turgenev or his writings.
   82. Ouidaesque 1909–
       Characteristic or suggestive of the novels of ‘Ouida’; spec. (of a male character) impossibly perfect; handsome and accomplished to an implausible…
   83. Galsworthian 1912–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of John Galsworthy or his work.
   84. Poeish 1915–
       Of, relating to, or reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe or his work; = Poe-esque, adj.
   85. Paterian 1918–
       = Pateresque, adj.
   86. Sitwellian 1920–
       Of, relating to, or characteristic of Edith Sitwell (1887–1964), Osbert Sitwell (1892–1969), or Sacheverell Sitwell (1897–1988), siblings and…
   87. Conradian 1921–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Joseph Conrad (1857–1924), Polish-born writer of novels in English, or his work.
   88. Mallarméan 1924–
       Of or relating to the works or theories of Mallarmé.
   89. Theophrastian 1924–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Theophrastus or his writings, esp. his Characters, a set of thirty sketches on disagreeable aspects of human…
   90. Wildean 1924–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the Irish writer Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (1854–1900), or his works.
   91. Woolfian 1924–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), English writer, or her work.
   92. Joycean 1925–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Joyce or his work.
   93. Pirandellian 1925–
       Of, resembling, or characteristic of Pirandello or his plays, esp. with reference to the relationship between illusion and reality.
   94. Proustian 1925–
       Of, relating to, or characteristic of Proust, his writings, or his style, particularly with reference to the recovery of the lost past and the…
   95. Flaubertian 1926–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Flaubert.
   96. Wodehousian 1926–
       Of, relating to, or characteristic of P. G. Wodehouse or his works, esp. his comic fiction.
   97. Stracheyan 1927–
       Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Strachey or his style of writing.
   98. Theophrastic 1928–
   99. Lawrentian 1930–
       Of or pertaining to the English author D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930), or his work or style of writing.
   100. Firbankian 1931–
        Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Ronald Firbank or his works and opinions.
   101. Melvillean 1931–
        Of, relating to, or characteristic of Herman Melville or his works, esp. the sea stories.
   102. Leavisite 1934–
        Of, relating to, or characteristic of the literary critic F. R. Leavis, his writings and ideas, or his followers; = Leavisian, adj.
   103. Runyonesque 1934–
        Of, relating to, or characteristic of Damon Runyon or his style, language, or imagery; esp. characterized by plot or language suggestive of…
   104. Kafka 1936–
        Used attributively.
   105. Kafkaesque 1936–
        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…
   106. Twainian 1938–
        Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of ‘Mark Twain’ or his work.
   107. Rilkean 1939–
        Of, relating to, or characteristic of Rilke or his work.
   108. Audenesque 1940–
        Resembling in matter, style, or quality the works of Wystan Hugh Auden, poet and critic.
   109. Hemingwayesque 1942–
        Characteristic of the works of E. Hemingway.
   110. Brontëan 1945–
        Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of, the Brontës (esp. the sisters Charlotte (1816–55), Emily (1818–48), and Anne (1820–49)), or their literary…
   111. Leavisian 1947–
        = Leavisite, adj.
   112. Morrisan 1949–
        = Morrisian, adj.
   113. Orwellian 1950–
        Characteristic or suggestive of the writings of George Orwell, esp. of the totalitarian state depicted in his dystopian account of the future, Nine…
   114. Faulknerian 1951–
        Of or pertaining to (the writings of) William Faulkner (1897–1962), American novelist.
   115. Hemingwayan 1951–
   116. Greeneian 1952–
        Of, relating to, or characteristic of Graham Greene, his writings, or his style.
   117. Arnoldian 1953–
        Belonging to or characteristic of either Thomas Arnold or his son Matthew Arnold.
   118. Thurberesque 1954–
        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.
   119. Tolkienian 1954–
        Of or pertaining to Tolkien or his writings.
   120. Beckettian 1958–
        Relating to or characteristic of the plays and novels of Samuel Beckett; spec. designating a bleak and sometimes comic atmosphere of spiritual…
   121. Hemingwayish 1959–
   122. Nabokovian 1959–
        Of or relating to Vladimir Nabokov; resembling or characteristic of his writing, esp. its ironic, witty, or erudite style.
   123. Pinteresque 1960–
        Of or relating to Harold Pinter; resembling or characteristic of his plays. Also occasionally as n.
   124. Pinterish 1960–
        = Pinteresque, adj.
   125. Vernean 1960–
        Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the science fiction of Jules Verne.
   126. Waughian 1960–
        Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Evelyn Waugh or his writing.
   127. Bradleian 1961–
        Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of: (a) the English idealist philosopher Francis Herbert Bradley (1846–1924) or his writings; or (b) his…
   128. Gravesian 1961–
        Resembling in matter, style, or quality the work or manner of Robert Ranke Graves, poet, novelist, and man of letters.
   129. Kafkian 1962–
        (attributive) = Kafkaesque, adj.
   130. Jules Vernean 1964–
   131. Snovian 1966–
        Of or pertaining to the writings or ideas of C. P. Snow.
   132. Pinterian 1967–
        = Pinteresque, adj.
   133. Lucianesque 1969–
        In a Lucianic style.
   134. Tolkienesque 1970–
        Characteristic of or resembling Tolkien or his writings.
   135. Thoreauvian 1975–
        Resembling or characteristic of Thoreau's writing or philosophy.
   136. Stubbsian 1979–
        Of or pertaining to William Stubbs (1825–1901), historian and Bishop of Oxford, or his historical opinions.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/zəʊləˈrɛsk/

####

##### 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 /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### 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 data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### 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

Originally published as part of the entry for Zolaism, n.

Zolaism, n. was first published in 1921; not fully revised.