art form

American  

noun

1. the more or less established structure, pattern, or scheme followed in shaping an artistic work.

   The sonata, the sonnet, and the novel are all art forms.

2. a medium for artistic expression.

   ballet, sculpture, opera, and other art forms.

3. a medium other than the artistic regarded as having highly developed or systematized rules, procedures, or formulations.

   international diplomacy regarded as an art form.

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art form British  

noun

1. a conventionally established form of artistic composition, such as the symphony or the sonnet

2. a recognized medium of artistic expression

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Etymology

Origin of art form

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

He got what he wanted at first, but opera companies everywhere are struggling, this being an outrageously expensive art form.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026

A new vanguard—led by the beer-swilling redneck Stone Cold Steve Austin—would bring the art form into the modern age by embracing bad taste.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

These connections made anime and martial arts cinema’s incorporation into hip-hop, an art form built on collaboration and sonic collage, somewhat inevitable.

From Salon • May 31, 2026

Although the art form seems inexhaustibly popular—the biggest hit of the year so far is Universal’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” with Disney-Pixar’s “Hoppers” not far behind—it remains risk-averse.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

If you launch a new musical form, though, what you need is a composer of such stature and brilliance that there is a decent chance of someone taking your new art form seriously.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall