readymade

American  

[red-ee-meyd] / ˈrɛd iˈmeɪd /

Or ready-made

noun

1. an everyday manufactured object, as a bottle rack, a snow shovel, a urinal, or a comb, that may by the creative act of selection and designation by an artist attain status as a work of art: associated almost exclusively with the aesthetic activities of Marcel Duchamp during the period 1915 to 1917.

---

Etymology

Origin of readymade

< French < English; term introduced by Duchamp in 1915

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

readymade

Butterly’s little sculptures, each only a few inches high, often begin with a readymade cast that yields traditional vessel shapes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

On view at the museum through November of next year, the readymade sculpture has been imaginatively altered by Saar.

From New York Times ● May 8, 2024

AI is far from the point where the "push of a button" generates "everything readymade", say Keitan Yadav and Harry Hingorani who run Redchillies.vfx.

From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2023

In Højlund, United has opted against a readymade striker who has already established himself at the top of the sport.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 5, 2023

It was a fine readymade one he’d ordered years ago when rich Mr. Sheffield was thought to be dying and didn’t.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns