Jump To:

• art
  art

  noun

  the quality, production, expression, or realm of things that conform to accepted aesthetic principles of beauty, show imagination and skill, and have more than ordinary meaning and importance.
• Art
  Art

  noun

  a first name, form of Arthur.
• ART
  ART

  article: often used to represent the class of determiners, including words such as this, that, and some as well as the articles a, an, and the.
• -art
  -art

  variant of -ard.
• art.
  art.

  abbreviation

  article; articles.

art

¹ American  

[ahrt] / ɑrt /

noun

• arts
  plural

1. the quality, production, expression, or realm of things that conform to accepted aesthetic principles of beauty, show imagination and skill, and have more than ordinary meaning and importance.

   Art is a characteristic human activity.

   My parents and I disagree about what qualifies as art.

2. the class of objects that meet or are subject to aesthetic criteria; objects considered beautiful, imaginative, skillful, and meaningful collectively, such as paintings, sculptures, or drawings.

   The palace houses a remarkable collection of art.

   The local museum of art currently has a special exhibit of the works of Kurelek.

3. the visual or fine arts collectively, often excluding architecture.

   She dabbled in art, including painting and sculpture.

4. the arts, the fine arts together with literature and the performing arts.

   I attended a high school that emphasized the arts, and I took every drama course I could.

   There never seems to be enough public funding for the arts.

5. a field, genre, or category of creative, imaginative, skilled activity that meets or is subject to aesthetic criteria.

   Poetry and dance are arts.

6. any craft or field of creative activity applying aesthetic principles, skill, and technique.

   She does graphic art for an advertising company.

7. arts,

   1. the cluster of academic disciplines dealing with art, literature, languages, philosophy, etc., as distinct from the natural and social sciences and the technical or professional fields; the humanities.

      He teaches in the College of Arts and Sciences.

      There are fewer opportunities these days for graduates with a degree in arts.

   2. the humanities together with the natural and social sciences, as opposed to the professional and technical fields; liberal arts.

      Are you at the Faculty of Arts, or at one of the professional faculties?

8. a branch of learning or university study, especially one of the fine arts or the humanities, such as music, philosophy, or literature.

   We attended a brilliant lecture on the role of the arts of philosophy and rhetoric in expanding knowledge.

9. 1. the principles, techniques, or methods governing any craft, trade, or profession.

      the art of baking;

      the art of selling.

   2. the craft, trade, or profession using these principles, techniques, or methods.

10. skill in conducting any human activity.

    You are a master at the art of conversation!

    From my mother, I learned the art of making perfectly cooked pasta.

    Synonyms:

    know-how, skillfulness, facility, knack

11. skilled workmanship, execution, or agency, as distinguished from nature.

    Do these shrubs in your garden owe their shape to art or to nature?

12. (in printed matter) illustrative or decorative material.

    Is there any art with the copy for this story?

13. trickery or cunning, or an instance of this.

    Don’t be taken in by their devious art.

    She is adept at the innumerable arts and wiles of politics.

    Synonyms:

    stratagem, tactic, trick, scheme, contrivance, scheming, machination, intrigue, artfulness, wiliness, slyness, guile, craftiness, wile, feint, dodge, ruse, subterfuge, maneuver

14. pretense or artificiality in behavior.

    He had a manner free of art and affectation.

    Synonyms:

    falsehood, imposture, duplicity, deception, deceit

    Antonyms:

    honesty, truthfulness, sincerity, ingenuousness, artlessness, openness, candor, frankness

15. Archaic. science, learning, or scholarship.

---

verb phrase

1. art up to improve the aesthetic quality of (something) through some form of art.

   This dress is so plain, it could use some arting up.

   I had an interior designer art up my apartment.

art ² American  

[ahrt] / ɑrt /

verb

Archaic.

1. 2nd person singular present indicative of be.

---

Art ³ American  

[ahrt] / ɑrt /

noun

1. a first name, form of Arthur.

---

ART ⁴ American  

Linguistics.

1. article: often used to represent the class of determiners, including words such as this, that, and some as well as the articles a, an, and the.

---

-art ⁵ American  

1. variant of -ard.

   braggart.

---

art. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

• arts
  plural

1. article; articles.

2. artificial.

3. artillery.

4. artist.

---

art ¹ British  

/ ɑːt /

noun

1. 1. the creation of works of beauty or other special significance

   2. ( as modifier )

      an art movement

2. the exercise of human skill (as distinguished from nature )

3. imaginative skill as applied to representations of the natural world or figments of the imagination

4. 1. the products of man's creative activities; works of art collectively, esp of the visual arts, sometimes also music, drama, dance, and literature

   2. ( as modifier ) See also arts fine art

      an art gallery

5. excellence or aesthetic merit of conception or execution as exemplified by such works

6. any branch of the visual arts, esp painting

7. (modifier) intended to be artistic or decorative

   art needlework

8. 1. any field using the techniques of art to display artistic qualities

      advertising art

   2. ( as modifier )

      an art film

9. journalism photographs or other illustrations in a newspaper, etc

10. method, facility, or knack

    the art of threading a needle

    the art of writing letters

11. the system of rules or principles governing a particular human activity

    the art of government

12. artfulness; cunning

13. to become highly proficient at something through practice

---

-art ² British  

suffix

1. a variant of -ard

---

ART ³ British  

abbreviation

1. assisted reproductive technology

---

art ⁴ British  

/ ɑːt /

verb

1. archaic (used with the pronoun thou) a singular form of the present tense (indicative mood) of be 1

---

art Idioms  

1. see fine art; state of the art.

---

Usage

What does -art mean? The combining form -art is a suffix denoting “someone who engages often in an activity,” and it is frequently pejorative. It is very rarely used in a handful of terms. The form -art comes from German -hard, meaning “strong; hardy; hard,” which is a cognate of English hard. What are variants of -art?In most instances, the form -art is spelled -ard, as in drunkard. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about -ard.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• arts
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of art¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin ars (stem art- ) “skill, craft, craftsmanship”

Origin of art²

First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English eart, equivalent to ear- ( see are ¹) + -t ending of 2nd person singular

---

Explanation

Art is the expression of ideas and emotions through a physical medium, like painting, sculpture, film, dance, writing, photography, or theatre. If you love the creative process, maybe you'll devote your life to art. The definition of art is constantly changing and evolving to include different types of activity, and the question “What is art?” has been discussed for thousands of years. Some people believe that art is the attempt to create beautiful objects, while others call art all of the works that appear in a gallery or museum, whether beautiful or ugly. Art can also mean a specific skill you’ve learned, like the art of baking a delicious pie.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

art Art ART -art art. arts

As musician Nile Rodgers once noted, David Bowie did not just make art - he was art.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

Family friendly with live music, food trucks, art gallery, workshops, community altar & more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

Subsequent research has revealed increasingly sophisticated behavior, including cave art and jewelry.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

The author, an emeritus professor of art history at Stanford, is as fascinated by the appropriations as by the original work of art.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Comparing them is like comparing good art pencils with dollar store pencils.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

The National Gallery of Art acquired some of his collection in 2023 and he has donated other images to the exhibition.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Ms. Corn examines “American Gothic” as the physical object that hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago and the “art icon” that has been adapted for political cartoons, greeting cards, advertisements and re-enactments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Originally organized by the Toledo Museum of Art, the exhibition treats visitors to a brief glimpse of the way magic was intertwined with daily life in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Atop the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art sits a rooftop garden not accessible to the public.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Art may be approached and appreciated for its purely visual elements: line, color, light, composition, form, and space.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

At the ART lab in Orleans, the scientists are making different kinds of mRNA to "test them on cells to check they are not toxic and that they work", Szymczak said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 20, 2025

Even with lifelong ART treatment, the virus remains latent in reservoirs throughout the body that can reactivate at any time, and over the long-term, these reservoirs can contribute to chronic inflammation and comorbidities.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024

The ART Act, she said, was introduced to stop commercial use of surrogacy, to regulate and supervise clinics, not to impinge upon personal freedoms of aggrieved parents.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2024

A tax filing for the fiscal year ending in December 2022 shows that ART received $226,500 from Step Up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2024

What will I do then, when all my hopes of making things better are in the same basket marked ART SCHOOL?

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

And he has lofty artistic ambitions in movies and beyond -art, philanthropy, music - and would like to work with directors like Gaspar Noe, Terrence Malick, Wes Anderson, the Coens and the Nolans.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 5, 2018

Here used in contempt, like many other words with the suffix -ard, or -art, as braggart, sluggard, etc.

From Milton's Comus by William Bell

“It’s meditative whenever I’m doing my art. And it’s fun,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

She continued: "To rave is an art. It's about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people."

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

“It would mean I’d have to focus on profits over art. I want to continue making art-house films,” said Santiago.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026

"Watching Federer is like looking at a work of art. It's elegance, he did everything magnificently. I became enchanted by him."

From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026

“Besides, my daughters have no interest in art. I never got to teach them anything about paintbrushes or oils. This will be fun for me.”

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 1712 S. Glendale Ave. will celebrate from noon until 3 p.m. with marigolds, Catrina and spirit guide artworks, community altars, marionettes, folklorico and mariachi performances, arts and crafts, face painting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

The Muckenthaler Cultural Center Día de los Muertos Festival goes from noon until 4 p.m. with live music, family fun, kids arts and crafts, local artisans and more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

Plans for the north of England's first Brit School-inspired performing arts college have been approved.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

As a child, Chin practiced violin for an hour a day—staring out the window into the woods and wishing he was there—followed by two hours of swimming and two hours of martial arts before homework.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Finally, assign a narrator, speaking or acting parts, and along with your instruments and sound effects, you have a complete performance that incorporates music composition and creativity along with language arts and theater.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• craft
• profession

---