architecture
Americannoun
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the profession of designing buildings, open areas, communities, and other artificial constructions and environments, usually with some regard to aesthetic effect. Architecture often includes design or selection of furnishings and decorations, supervision of construction work, and the examination, restoration, or remodeling of existing buildings.
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the character or style of building.
the architecture of Paris; Romanesque architecture.
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the action or process of building; construction.
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the result or product of architectural work, as a building.
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buildings collectively.
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Computers. a fundamental underlying design of computer hardware, software, or both.
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the structure of anything.
the architecture of a novel.
noun
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the art and science of designing and superintending the erection of buildings and similar structures
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a style of building or structure
Gothic architecture
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buildings or structures collectively
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the structure or design of anything
the architecture of the universe
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the internal organization of a computer's components with particular reference to the way in which data is transmitted
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the arrangement of the various devices in a complete computer system or network
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of architecture
First recorded in 1555–65; from Middle French, from Latin architectūra; see architect, -ure
Explanation
Architecture is the process, or profession, of designing buildings and their environments. Architecture also refers to the product of this design and work. The root of the word architecture is the Greek arkhitekton ("master builder"), which makes sense because the ancient Greeks were very skilled at architecture — think of all those columns and stadiums and temples. The Parthenon, which was begun in 447 BC, is one of the greatest examples of architecture from Classical Greece.
Vocabulary lists containing architecture
Play by the Rules: Arch
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The 19th-century mental architecture of finance was concrete, built directly on the physical world.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
A core theme of the event was Cloudflare’s ambition to become the de facto “Cloud for AI Agents,” leveraging its architecture to execute agentic workloads 60% to 70% cheaper than legacy hyperscalers.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
The limiting step, he said, was the lander — the most challenging piece of the mission's technical architecture, and the one least under Nasa's direct control.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Los Angeles architecture firm SPF:architects has designed two proposed residential projects in Southern California that will be unveiled when the new law goes into effect July 1, said Renzo Pali, director of operations.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Evidently it was the natural formation of the terrain that inspired this extraordinary work of landscape architecture, as mysterious and moving in its way as Stonehenge.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
