Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Wearing a periwig: Describes a person who is wearing a periwig, a formal wig that was fashionable for men, particularly in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Usage

• The word "periwigged" is used to describe historical figures, characters in period dramas, or portraits from eras when wigs were standard formal attire for gentlemen, judges, and nobles.
• It is a descriptive term, often found in historical or literary contexts rather than in everyday conversation.

Examples

• The periwigged judges presided over the 18th-century courtroom with solemn authority.
• In the portrait gallery, we saw several periwigged aristocrats from the Restoration period.
• The actor looked quite authentic, periwigged and dressed in silk breeches for his role as a courtier.

Advanced Usage

• As a historical descriptor: The term is primarily used to evoke a specific historical aesthetic or social status.
  • The periwigged ambassadors represented the opulence and formality of the Age of Enlightenment.

Variants and Related Words

• Periwig (noun): The wig itself; a man's wig of the 17th–18th centuries, typically powdered and with long, curled hair at the sides and back.
  • He carefully placed the white periwig upon his head before the ceremony.
• Wigged (adjective): A more general term meaning wearing any type of wig.
  • The wigged barrister addressed the court.

Synonyms

• Wigged: Wearing a wig (a more general synonym).
• Bewigged: Wearing a wig (has a similar formal or slightly archaic tone).

Antonyms

• Unwigged: Not wearing a wig; having one's natural hair.

Adjective

1. wearing a wig popular for men in the 17th and 18th centuries