aesthete

American  

[es-theet, ees-] / ˈɛs θit, ˈis- /

noun

1. a person who has or professes to have refined sensitivity toward the beauties of art or nature.

   Synonyms:

   connoisseur

2. a person who affects great love of art, music, poetry, etc., and indifference to practical matters.

   Synonyms:

   dilettante

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aesthete British  

/ ˈiːsθiːt /

noun

1. a person who has or who affects a highly developed appreciation of beauty, esp in poetry and the visual arts

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Other Word Forms

• hyperaesthete noun

Etymology

Origin of aesthete

1880–85; < Greek aisthētḗs one who perceives, equivalent to aisthē- (variant stem of aisthánesthai to perceive) + -tēs noun suffix denoting agent

Example Sentences

He added: "Carpenter is above all a brilliant aesthete, her videos and album artwork uniformly inspired."

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2025

Ludwig II of Bavaria was a zealous aesthete with enough personal wealth to treat part of what is now Germany as an architectural canvas.

From Salon • Jun. 22, 2025

A devastatingly handsome, unimaginably wealthy aesthete, Farrell considers style his armor — “a form of protest, against gross inhumanity or inclement weather.”

From New York Times • May 31, 2023

Wondering how to shop for the aesthete who is always going on about clean lines, symmetries and scale?

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2021

The face of his grandson, by contrast, is that of a bud-lipped aesthete.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro