architecture

noun

ar·​chi·​tec·​ture ˈär-kə-ˌtek-chər How to pronounce architecture (audio)
1
: the art or science of building
specifically : the art or practice of designing and building structures and especially habitable ones
2
a
: formation or construction resulting from or as if from a conscious act
the architecture of the garden
b
: a unifying or coherent form or structure
a novel that lacks architecture
3
: architectural product or work
buildings that comprise the architecture of the square
4
: a method or style of building
Gothic architecture
5
: the manner in which the components of a computer or computer system are organized and integrated
different program architectures

Examples of architecture in a Sentence

In college, he studied architecture. The architecture of the building is modern.
Recent Examples on the Web Gaitan was heavily inspired by 1980s Miami architecture and design. Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Beal, who is a visual artist with an architecture degree, worked with Heitzler as an art handler. Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Top 5 Can’t Miss The world’s first department store, Le Bon Marché, is worth a stop for the architecture and art alone, with a collection of more than 80 pieces of contemporary art and furniture. Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2024 The Comal and Guadalupe rivers wind through town, giving a picturesque turn to the landscape, and the Gruene Historic District is filled with German architecture dating to the 19th century. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 John Walker, a groundbreaking, if reclusive, technology entrepreneur and polymath who was a founder and chief executive of Autodesk, the company that brought the ubiquitous AutoCAD software program to the design and architecture masses, died on Feb. 2 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Alex Williams, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Animal Arts Design Studios, an architecture and design firm focused only on animal facilities, designed the facility. Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 Through a partnership with local architecture firm Other Work, the final project will include a closed structure used to store instruments and materials, with slate metal roofing above a large wooden dance floor. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 But ghost architecture seems to persist everywhere. Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'architecture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see architect

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of architecture was in 1555

Dictionary Entries Near architecture

Cite this Entry

“Architecture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/architecture. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

architecture

noun
ar·​chi·​tec·​ture ˈär-kə-ˌtek-chər How to pronounce architecture (audio)
1
: the art or science of designing and building structures and especially ones that can be lived in
2
: architectural product or work
3
: a method or style of building
architectural
ˌär-kə-ˈtek-chə-rəl
-ˈtek-shrəl
adjective
architecturally
adverb

Medical Definition

architecture

noun
ar·​chi·​tec·​ture ˈär-kə-ˌtek-chər How to pronounce architecture (audio)
: the basic structural form especially of a bodily part or of a large molecule
the architecture and function of the cerebral cortex
the complex molecular architecture of muscle cellsCarolyn Cohen
architecturally adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on architecture

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