artist

[ahr-tist]

noun

1. a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.

2. a person who practices one of the fine arts, especially a painter or sculptor.

3. a person whose trade or profession requires a knowledge of design, drawing, painting, etc..

   a commercial artist.

4. a person who works in one of the performing arts, as an actor, musician, or singer; a public performer.

   a mime artist; an artist of the dance.

5. a person whose work exhibits exceptional skill.

6. a person who is expert at trickery or deceit.

   He's an artist with cards.

7. Obsolete.,  an artisan.

artist

/ ˈɑːtɪst /

noun

1. a person who practises or is skilled in an art, esp painting, drawing, or sculpture

2. a person who displays in his work qualities required in art, such as sensibility and imagination

3. a person whose profession requires artistic expertise, esp a designer

   a commercial artist

4. a person skilled in some task or occupation

   an artist at bricklaying

5. obsolete,  an artisan

6. slang,  a person devoted to or proficient in something

   a booze artist

   a con artist

Word History and Origins

Origin of artist¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Middle French artiste, from Medieval Latin artista “master of arts”; equivalent to art ¹ + -ist

Synonym Study

Artist, artisan, artiste are persons having superior skill or ability, or who are capable of producing superior work. An artist is a person engaged in some type of fine art. An artisan is engaged in a craft or applied art. An artiste is usually a skilled public performer.

Example Sentences

As crowd control barricades began springing up and artist security personnel lingered outside the famed vinyl record shop, passersby and neighbors alike began to ponder what could be going on.

From Los Angeles Times

The Missouri-born artist also spoke about the case’s toll on his personal life, writing that “the trauma my family and I have endured during this dark period can never be forgiven.”

From Los Angeles Times

Police are investigating claims a street artist "vandalised" a listed block of flats by painting a mural which shows a couple falling from the top of the building.

From BBC

It's a story that started at the Stowe Centre youth club in north-west London, where Amelia interviewed grime artists for a column in magazine The Cut.

From BBC

That has not gone unnoticed by the genre's biggest artists - including US country star Luke Combs, who boasts more than 25 million monthly listeners on Spotify and 7.5 million Instagram followers.

From BBC

Related Words

• artisan 
• composer 
• expert 
• inventor 
• painter