sculptor
noun
a person who practices the art of sculpture.
sculptor
American
[skuhlp-ter]
/ ˈskʌlp tər /
noun
-
sculptors,
plural
-
Sculptoris
genitive
-
a person who practices the art of sculpture.
-
(initial capital letter) a southern constellation between Phoenix and Cetus.
Sculptor
1
British
/ ˈskʌlptə /
noun
sculptor
2
British
/ ˈskʌlptə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sculptor
First recorded before 1625–35; from Latin, equivalent to sculp(ere) “to carve” + -tor -tor
Explanation
An artist who creates three-dimensional works of art is a sculptor. Some sculptors carve designs out of a piece of wood or stone, while others weld slabs of metal together to create their masterpieces. The thing distinguishing a sculptor from other artists is that their work can be viewed from many different sides, instead of being a relatively flat painting or collage. Sculptors today work in just about any medium you can imagine, including clay, fabric, metal, bone, plastic — even sand and ice. Ancient Greek and Roman sculptors created lifelike figures from marble and bronze, some of which you can still see in museums today. The Latin root of sculpture means "to carve."
Vocabulary lists containing sculptor
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -er, -or
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The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle
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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 sculptor and his workmen look like miniature figures as they work on the 14-meter monument in honor of the pope, who is a Peruvian citizen.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
After the death of her lover, Romanian sculptor George Apostu, whose rough-hewn wood sculptures still populate the house’s patio, Caland’s children encouraged yet another departure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
He plans to spend time in Mexico City, collaborating with sculptor Brian Thoreen on a project that they hope will illuminate new solutions to the city’s water shortages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Hosmer was an American neoclassical sculptor born in Massachusetts in 1830, and is widely regarded as the first professional female sculptor in the United States.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The sculptor from the Stadel Cave may sincerely have believed in the existence of the lion-man guardian spirit.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Appeared in the April 9, 2026, print edition as 'A Sculptor of Urban Spaces'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
Sculptor Lily Marsh said it was "refreshing" to swap stone for snow.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
Sculptor Omri Amrany, who created the Wade statue with Oscar Léon, is not bothered by the criticism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2024
NGC 253 is located about 10 million light-years away in the direction of the constellation Sculptor.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 28, 2024
“See how beautiful this horse is; Leonardo da Vinci alone has created it. Sculptor, fine painter, fine mathematician, so great an intellect rarely does Heaven bestow.”
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Amid all the fireworks and fanfare sure to mark the nation’s semiquincentennial this weekend, it’s worth remembering how sculptors, writers, composers and more have channeled the American character in works from throughout this country’s history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
One of the detainees was 16-year-old Ruth Asawa, one of America’s most celebrated sculptors.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Sheffield sculptors Lily Marsh and Steve Roche were part of Great Britain's four-person team, which won the public vote and came third in the technical judging at the competition in Grindelwald.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
For the rest of his life—in contrast to his contemporaries the Color Field painters and industrial-scale sculptors, who required vast studios—he worked in the modest apartment where he kept his own company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
Every day I go to the Temple of the Sun to deliver new pictures to Omari and then watch the sculptors carving them into the obelisk.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
They actually orbit each other, and as R Sculptoris dances in a circle, the wind that blows off from it forms a spiral pattern like a garden sprinkler shooting out water.
From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2012
About 7° south-east of α is the red and variable star R Sculptoris; variable from 6·2 to 8·8 magnitude, with a period of about 376 days.
From Astronomical Curiosities Facts and Fallacies by J. Ellard Gore
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