Bespoke
What it means
Made specifically for one customer, setting, or purpose.
Reach for it when praising a tailored solution rather than a standard product
The joiner built a bespoke cabinet around the room's uneven stonework.
Words to choose between 7
| playful | |
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| everyday | |
| professional |
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| formal |
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playful
one-off
Fits when a unique single item is the main appeal
Careful One-off says nothing about whose needs shaped the design.
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everyday
personalized
Fits when details are changed for one user's identity or preferences
Careful Personalized can mean little more than adding a name.
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professional
custom-made
Fits when the item is produced to an individual specification
Careful Custom-made can sound industrial and lacks bespoke's craft association.
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professional
Fits when the design serves one defined function from the outset
Careful Purpose-built need not be unique to one customer.
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professional
Fits when an existing approach is adjusted to particular needs
Careful Tailored may involve adaptation rather than creation from scratch.
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formal
commissioned
Fits when a client formally requests original work
Careful Commissioned identifies how work began, not whether it fits the client well.
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formal
made-to-measure
Fits when clothing or fitted goods are created from exact measurements
Careful The phrase is wrong for a strategy, service, or unfitted object.
Opposites 3
- off-the-shelf
- standardized
- mass-produced
Common phrases 3
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bespoke service
The clinic offers a bespoke service for patients with complex travel needs.
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bespoke design
A bespoke design made the narrow entrance fully accessible.
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bespoke suit
The tailor cut a bespoke suit from locally woven cloth.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Persent101, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated