nabokovism means an attitude or turn of phrase characteristic of the Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977). It carries an Arena rating of 1330, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, nabokovism ranks #6,762 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #8,844 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #9,551 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #10,152 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words.
Why “nabokovism” is a great word
A literary style, attitude, or distinctive turn of phrase characterized by linguistic playfulness, intricate patterning, and a preoccupation with memory and artifice. From the surname Nabokov (Vladimir Nabokov) + the suffix -ism, denoting a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy. Unlike modernism, that broad, epochal break with tradition, or mannerism, which implies an affected and hollow adherence to style, Nabokovism is a sovereign, celebratory system where artifice is the highest truth. It is the shimmer of a butterfly wing preserved in the amber of a perfect sentence, the labyrinth of a pun unfolding across three languages, and the poignant, precise agony of recalling a sun-drenched garden from a grey hotel room—a testament to the belief that the only real world is the one painstakingly, lovingly composed.
Etymology
From Nabokov + -ism.
noun
- An attitude or turn of phrase characteristic of the Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977).e.g.“They are rather little signs to suggest how one might proceed up a road on which I did not do very well myself, the road to pure Nabokovism.” — 1966, Maurice Schneps, Alvin D. Coox, The Japanese image, Volume 1:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.