art

[ ahrt ]

/ ɑrt /

Save This Word!

noun

the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

the class of objects subject to aesthetic criteria; works of art collectively, as paintings, sculptures, or drawings: a museum of art;an art collection.See also fine art, commercial art.

a field, genre, or category of art: Dance is an art.

the fine arts collectively, often excluding architecture: art and architecture.

any field using the skills or techniques of art: advertising art;industrial art.

a branch of learning or university study, especially one of the fine arts or the humanities, as music, philosophy, or literature: She was adept at the arts of music and painting;I've always felt an affinity towards the visual arts, though I studied art of philosophy.

arts,

(used with a singular verb) the humanities, as distinguished from the sciences and technical fields: a college of arts and sciences.
(used with a plural verb) liberal arts: Faculty of Arts.

skill in conducting any human activity: a master at the art of conversation;From my mother, I learned the art of perfectly cooked pasta.

the principles or methods governing any craft or branch of learning: the art of baking;the art of selling.
the craft, trade, or profession using these principles or methods.

OTHER WORDS FOR art

8 knack, facility, technical skill, skillfulness, know-how.

9a craft, technique, skill; procedure, method, way; fine points, subtleties.

11 craftiness, guile, slyness, wiliness, artfulness, intrigue, machination, scheming.

12 deceit, deception, duplicity, imposture, falsehood.

13 contrivance, scheme, trick, tactic, stratagem, maneuver; subterfuge, ruse, dodge, feint, wile.

See synonyms for art on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR art

12 frankness, candor, openness, artlessness, ingenuousness, sincerity; truthfulness, honesty.

See antonyms for art on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of art

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French, accusative of ars, from Latin ars (nominative), artem (accusative) “skill, craft, craftsmanship”

Other definitions for art (2 of 6)

art²

[ ahrt ]

/ ɑrt /

verb Archaic.

2nd person singular present indicative of be.

Origin of art

First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English eart, equivalent to ear- (see are¹) + -t ending of 2nd person singular

Other definitions for art (3 of 6)

Art

[ ahrt ]

/ ɑrt /

noun

a male given name, form of Arthur.

Other definitions for art (4 of 6)

ART

Linguistics.

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.

Other definitions for art (5 of 6)

-art

variant of -ard: braggart.

Other definitions for art (6 of 6)

art.

abbreviation

plural arts. article; articles.

artificial.

artillery.

artist.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use art in a sentence

The pulps brought new readers to serious fiction, making it less intimidating with alluring art and low prices.
How Pulp Fiction Saved Literature|Wendy Smith|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Cold War fears could be manipulated through misleading art to attract readers to daunting material.
How Pulp Fiction Saved Literature|Wendy Smith|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In “Steal This Episode,” the filmmaker denounces Homer Simpson as an “enemy of art.”
Here’s the Lost Judd Apatow ‘Simpsons’ Episode, Penned by Judd Apatow|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But those watching Selma were judging a work of cinematic art.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

I spent time yesterday listening to the music you made, and looking at the art you created.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen|Parker Molloy|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Woman is mistress of the art of completely embittering the life of the person on whom she depends.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
Many of these have been seen in the Corcoran Art Gallery and in other public exhibitions.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
Adequate conception of the extent, the variety, the excellence of the works of Art here heaped together is impossible.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
So it commands the other sciences in all the wonderful and hidden things of nature and art (pp. 510-511).
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
While residing in Brussels these two artists began to collect works of art for what is now known as the Mesdag Museum.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement

British Dictionary definitions for art (1 of 4)

art¹

/ (ɑːt) /

noun

the creation of works of beauty or other special significance
(as modifier)an art movement

the exercise of human skill (as distinguished from nature)

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

the products of man's creative activities; works of art collectively, esp of the visual arts, sometimes also music, drama, dance, and literature
(as modifier)an art gallery See also arts, fine art

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

any branch of the visual arts, esp painting

(modifier) intended to be artistic or decorativeart needlework

any field using the techniques of art to display artistic qualitiesadvertising art
(as modifier)an art film

journalism photographs or other illustrations in a newspaper, etc

method, facility, or knackthe art of threading a needle; the art of writing letters

the system of rules or principles governing a particular human activitythe art of government

artfulness; cunning

get something down to a fine art to become highly proficient at something through practice

Word Origin for art

C13: from Old French, from Latin ars craftsmanship

British Dictionary definitions for art (2 of 4)

art²

/ (ɑːt) /

verb

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

Word Origin for art

Old English eart, part of bēon to be

British Dictionary definitions for art (3 of 4)

ART

abbreviation for

assisted reproductive technology

British Dictionary definitions for art (4 of 4)

-art

suffix forming nouns

a variant of -ard

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with art

art

see fine art; state of the art.

art

OTHER WORDS FOR art

OPPOSITES FOR art

Origin of art

Other definitions for art (2 of 6)

Origin of art

Other definitions for art (3 of 6)

Other definitions for art (4 of 6)

Other definitions for art (5 of 6)

Other definitions for art (6 of 6)

Words related to art

How to use art in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for art (1 of 4)

Word Origin for art

British Dictionary definitions for art (2 of 4)

Word Origin for art

British Dictionary definitions for art (3 of 4)

British Dictionary definitions for art (4 of 4)

Other Idioms and Phrases with art