art form
Americannoun
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the more or less established structure, pattern, or scheme followed in shaping an artistic work.
The sonata, the sonnet, and the novel are all art forms.
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a medium for artistic expression.
ballet, sculpture, opera, and other art forms.
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a medium other than the artistic regarded as having highly developed or systematized rules, procedures, or formulations.
international diplomacy regarded as an art form.
noun
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a conventionally established form of artistic composition, such as the symphony or the sonnet
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a recognized medium of artistic expression
Etymology
Origin of art form
First recorded in 1865–70
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.
The two performances sold well—the second completely—and a large, enthusiastic black audience turned out, a significant achievement for an art form that often has difficulty attracting a diverse public.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
"I adore the art form for its ability to create beautiful pictures out of beautiful stages. As I progress, I want to do more and more wire walks".
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
A new vanguard—led by the beer-swilling redneck Stone Cold Steve Austin—would bring the art form into the modern age by embracing bad taste.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
These connections made anime and martial arts cinema’s incorporation into hip-hop, an art form built on collaboration and sonic collage, somewhat inevitable.
From Salon ● May 31, 2026
To foil it, he elevated obstruction to an art form.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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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.