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Showing results for art form.

art form

American  

noun

  1. 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.

  2. a medium for artistic expression.

    ballet, sculpture, opera, and other art forms.

  3. a medium other than the artistic regarded as having highly developed or systematized rules, procedures, or formulations.

    international diplomacy regarded as an art form.


art form British  

noun

  1. a conventionally established form of artistic composition, such as the symphony or the sonnet

  2. a recognized medium of artistic expression

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

See Examples For:

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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