artisan
Americannoun
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a person skilled in a utilitarian art, trade, or craft, especially one requiring manual skill; a craftsperson.
-
a person or company that makes a high-quality or distinctive product in small quantities, usually by hand or using traditional methods.
our favorite local food artisans.
adjective
noun
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a skilled workman; craftsman
-
obsolete an artist
Synonym Usage
See artist.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of artisan
First recorded in 1530–40; from French, from Italian artigiano, equivalent to Latin artīt(us) “trained in arts and crafts” (past participle of artīre ) + Italian -iano (from Latin -iānus ); see art 1, -ite 2, -ian
Compare meaning
How does artisan compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An artisan has both the creativity and the skill to make a product. Wandering around a local craft fair, you will often see artisans selling handicrafts like pot holders or beaded jewelry. In medieval times, blacksmiths, carpenters, and masons were artisan trades. Unskilled laborers were not. The hierarchy of skill and prestige among artisans, from apprentice to journeyman to master, is sometimes reflected in ranks among today’s trade union members. But today an artisan can just be someone who makes attractive and creative work with their hands, like jewelry or pottery. Although, if they're trying to sell their goods, it probably helps if they're very skilled.
Vocabulary lists containing artisan
Mesopotamia - Introductory
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Ancient Egypt and Kush, Lessons 1–3
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Medieval Europe - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
The 19-year-old college student compares herself to an apprentice learning from a master artisan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Three Iranian men pressed rehydrated raisins at an artisan distillery just outside New York, thousands of miles from their war-struck homeland.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
Her future as an artisan was a foregone conclusion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2025
Among his AI-powered discoveries: scissors from an artisan manufacturer in England and pottery from Indonesia, a birthday gift for his mother last summer.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025
He was only an honest and kindly artisan, just now saddened by treachery.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
The origins of the tapestry remain shrouded in mystery, with many scholars believing it was made by artisans in or around Canterbury in southern England.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
The litany hails him as the renowned offspring of David, who handed Christ a king’s lineage and a contested throne, and calls him the terror of demons and the model of artisans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
As a result, authentic sea silk has become extraordinarily rare and is produced only in tiny amounts by a small number of artisans.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026
It also included headlines from articles regarding the Naupan artisans who were allegedly underpaid by Adidas and social-impact brand Someone Somewhere, during its work on the latest embroidered Mexican soccer kit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
Behind this common burial ground the rough face of the cliff was honeycombed with the better tombs of artisans and scribes and merchants, carved into the rock itself.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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.
