aesthete
Americannoun
-
a person who has or professes to have refined sensitivity toward the beauties of art or nature.
- Synonyms:
- connoisseur
-
a person who affects great love of art, music, poetry, etc., and indifference to practical matters.
- Synonyms:
- dilettante
noun
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
Someone who claims to be concerned only with matters of art and beauty is known as an aesthete. Depending on the way he goes about it, he might also be known as a snob. The Greeks considered an aisthētḗs as "one who feels." It's from this idea of emotional sensitivity that the word aesthete came about in the late 19th century as a noun for someone who greatly appreciates beauty and the arts. An aesthete doesn’t have to be a wealthy individual or an art-academy graduate. You're as much of an aesthete if you're going about your business and happen to absorb a strain of Beethoven as much as the poet who writes about the splendor of a leaf.
Vocabulary lists containing aesthete
Waiting for Godot
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Book of Unknown Americans
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Call of Chtulhu
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
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
The British writer-director Peter Strickland is one of contemporary cinema’s last great weirdos, an aesthete and eccentric in an industry that increasingly values invisibility and homogeny.
From New York Times • May 23, 2023
His mannered but gracefully posed hands perhaps indicate the delicacy required for surgical prowess, as well as his nonprofessional demeanor as an art-collecting aesthete.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 12, 2022
My father used to call me an aesthete.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
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.
