the quality, production, expression, or realm of things that conform to accepted aesthetic principles of beauty, show imagination and skill, and have more than ordinary meaning and importance.
Art is a characteristic human activity.
My parents and I disagree about what qualifies as art.
the class of objects that meet or are subject to aesthetic criteria; objects considered beautiful, imaginative, skillful, and meaningful collectively, such as paintings, sculptures, or drawings.
The palace houses a remarkable collection of art.
The local museum of art currently has a special exhibit of the works of Kurelek.
the visual or fine arts collectively, often excluding architecture.
She dabbled in art, including painting and sculpture.
the arts, the fine arts together with literature and the performing arts.
I attended a high school that emphasized the arts, and I took every drama course I could.
There never seems to be enough public funding for the arts.
a field, genre, or category of creative, imaginative, skilled activity that meets or is subject to aesthetic criteria.
Poetry and dance are arts.
any craft or field of creative activity applying aesthetic principles, skill, and technique.
She does graphic art for an advertising company.
arts,
the cluster of academic disciplines dealing with art, literature, languages, philosophy, etc., as distinct from the natural and social sciences and the technical or professional fields; the humanities.
He teaches in the College of Arts and Sciences.
There are fewer opportunities these days for graduates with a degree in arts.
the humanities together with the natural and social sciences, as opposed to the professional and technical fields; liberal arts.
Are you at the Faculty of Arts, or at one of the professional faculties?
a branch of learning or university study, especially one of the fine arts or the humanities, such as music, philosophy, or literature.
We attended a brilliant lecture on the role of the arts of philosophy and rhetoric in expanding knowledge.
the principles, techniques, or methods governing any craft, trade, or profession.
the art of baking;
the art of selling.
the craft, trade, or profession using these principles, techniques, or methods.
skill in conducting any human activity.
You are a master at the art of conversation!
From my mother, I learned the art of making perfectly cooked pasta.
skilled workmanship, execution, or agency, as distinguished from nature.
Do these shrubs in your garden owe their shape to art or to nature?
(in printed matter) illustrative or decorative material.
Is there any art with the copy for this story?
trickery or cunning, or an instance of this.
Don’t be taken in by their devious art.
She is adept at the innumerable arts and wiles of politics.
pretense or artificiality in behavior.
He had a manner free of art and affectation.
Archaic. science, learning, or scholarship.
article; articles.
artificial.
artillery.
artist.
the creation of works of beauty or other special significance
( as modifier )
an art movement
the exercise of human skill (as distinguished from nature )
imaginative skill as applied to representations of the natural world or figments of the imagination
excellence or aesthetic merit of conception or execution as exemplified by such works
any branch of the visual arts, esp painting
(modifier) intended to be artistic or decorative
art needlework
any field using the techniques of art to display artistic qualities
advertising art
( as modifier )
an art film
journalism photographs or other illustrations in a newspaper, etc
method, facility, or knack
the art of threading a needle
the art of writing letters
the system of rules or principles governing a particular human activity
the art of government
artfulness; cunning
to become highly proficient at something through practice
What does -art mean? The combining form -art is a suffix denoting “someone who engages often in an activity,” and it is frequently pejorative. It is very rarely used in a handful of terms. The form -art comes from German -hard, meaning “strong; hardy; hard,” which is a cognate of English hard. What are variants of -art?In most instances, the form -art is spelled -ard, as in drunkard. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about -ard.
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin ars (stem art- ) “skill, craft, craftsmanship”
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English eart, equivalent to ear- ( see are 1) + -t ending of 2nd person singular
Art is the expression of ideas and emotions through a physical medium, like painting, sculpture, film, dance, writing, photography, or theatre. If you love the creative process, maybe you'll devote your life to art. The definition of art is constantly changing and evolving to include different types of activity, and the question “What is art?” has been discussed for thousands of years. Some people believe that art is the attempt to create beautiful objects, while others call art all of the works that appear in a gallery or museum, whether beautiful or ugly. Art can also mean a specific skill you’ve learned, like the art of baking a delicious pie.
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To get some culture without the heat, she suggests heading to Venice's Teatro La Fenice - a historic opera house - and the Ca' Rezzonico art museum.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
By the time he graduated from high school, he already had two associate degrees — one in art and another in science.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Even after stints on the East Coast for art school and in San Francisco for a restaurant gig at Michelin-starred State Bird Provisions, she felt the pull to return to Chinatown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The auction house said that it was the largest collection of Firmin's art to go on sale.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
It reminded Danny of the time he was in art class and dropped a bit of ink in a water cup.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Prisoners at HMP Erlestoke, in Wiltshire, have created their own artwork as part of the Prison Art Project scheme which is supported by homeless charity ALABARÉ.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Everything Must Go at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery was inspired by "things that are no longer with us", he said, describing his first major solo art exhibition as "a neon graveyard, full of colour".
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Three years after its creation, she had a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
“It’s common knowledge now among anybody,” said Art Westerinen, 64, the family historian and one of Dorothy’s three brothers.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Art went for millions of dollars, but this was only a sketch.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
"For cancer, this message will stimulate the patient's ability to effectively fight tumours," Dimitri Szymczak, project manager of French research institute INSERM's ART lab in Orleans, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Nov. 20, 2025
However, long-term increases have been forecast in North Africa and the Middle East, where only 67% of people living with HIV are aware of their status, 50% access ART, and 45% are virally suppressed.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024
The ART Act, she said, was introduced to stop commercial use of surrogacy, to regulate and supervise clinics, not to impinge upon personal freedoms of aggrieved parents.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2024
A tax filing for the fiscal year ending in December 2022 shows that ART received $226,500 from Step Up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2024
What will I do then, when all my hopes of making things better are in the same basket marked ART SCHOOL?
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
And he has lofty artistic ambitions in movies and beyond -art, philanthropy, music - and would like to work with directors like Gaspar Noe, Terrence Malick, Wes Anderson, the Coens and the Nolans.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 5, 2018
Here used in contempt, like many other words with the suffix -ard, or -art, as braggart, sluggard, etc.
From Milton's Comus by Bell, William
“Football is an art. And that’s why we love it,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
"Watching Federer is like looking at a work of art. It's elegance, he did everything magnificently. I became enchanted by him."
From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026
The Polish embassy said Smuss "lectured youth on the history of Polish Jews and expressed his memories through art. His legacy endures."
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2025
“Drew made event art. His posters made many of our movies into destinations,” director Steven Spielberg said in a statement, adding: “In his own invented style, nobody drew like Drew.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
“It’s not. It’s not at all. How could you say that? It’s art. It’s beautiful and it matters.”
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
The event attracted an average of 34 million viewers worldwide, making it one of the most watched mixed martial arts events of all time.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Ms. Cole, the author of the memoir “After Great Pain: A New Life Emerges,” writes on books and arts for the Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
A dedicated Irish Language Hub at The Mac will include free taster classes, arts and crafts workshops, circus skills, family entertainment and a dedicated family room throughout the week.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
That skill is cultivated through education in the performing arts.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
On the negative side, arts teachers are seen as separate “specialists,” which erroneously relieves the classroom teacher of any responsibility for incorporating the arts into the daily classroom experience.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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.
