acrylic
Americanadjective
noun
-
a paint, prepared especially for artists, in which an acrylic resin serves as a vehicle.
-
a painting done with this type of paint.
She sold several acrylics during the show.
adjective
noun
-
short for acrylic fibre acrylic resin
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a paint or colour containing acrylic resin
-
An acrylic resin.
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A paint containing acrylic resin.
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An acrylic fiber.
Etymology
Origin of acrylic
First recorded in 1855–60; acr(olein) + -yl + -ic
Explanation
Acrylic is a kind of plastic, fabric, fiber, or paint that's made from acrylic acid. You might knit your mom an acrylic hat if she's allergic to wool. Anything made of acrylic is synthetic — it's not a natural substance or fiber, but was made in a lab or factory from artificial materials. Acrylic paint is a quick-drying, water-soluble kind of paint that artists often use instead of oil paint or watercolors. The original meaning of acrylic was "containing acryl," from acrolein, the sharp, bitter liquid in onions, rooted in the Latin words acer, "sharp," and olere, "to smell."
Vocabulary lists containing acrylic
Visual Arts - Introductory
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Visual Arts - High School
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Art History
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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.
A wooden Apple I case, a clear acrylic Macintosh, a large iPod prototype and other items from Apple’s past fill the room.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
Much of the stuff of modern life, from nylon yarn to PVC pipes to acrylic paint, ultimately comes from fossil fuels.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
She started at cosmetology school, but didn’t finish because the fumes from acrylic nails sent her to the hospital, she said.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 19, 2025
A thousand small cylindrical acrylic mirrors planted in the sand compose a Morse code poem imagining a dialogue between Tangun, the legendary founder of the first Korean kingdom, and an Egyptian pharaoh.
From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025
A few days later, Mother drove me forty miles to a small shop whose shelves were lined with exotic shoes and strange acrylic costumes.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
