acrylic
Americanadjective
noun
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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.
The collector said more valuable items were in protective acrylic cases but some sustained more damage than others - with about 75% of the stolen goods now a "write-off".
From BBC • Feb. 12, 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
Wilson also voiced his displeasure at Lululemon’s expansion into new non-workout categories, posting about his “sadness for lululemon’s slow march to becoming The Gap with cheap acrylic sweaters.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 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
But it's my story, told in brushstrokes and acrylic paint.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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.
