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

But one of Conlon’s parting gifts to L.A. is an irrefutable argument that no art form does redemption quite like opera.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

The gala dress code is “Fashion Is Art,” with guests asked to explore their relationship to fashion as an embodied art form and celebrate depictions of the dressed body throughout art history.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

Comedian Carly Smallman said art form recognition for comedy would open up support routes available to other creative industries.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

But at the tail end of his monologue, O’Brien assured viewers that the Oscars exist to honor cinema as an art form, not for the Hollywood industrial complex patting itself on the back.

From Salon • Mar. 16, 2026

Because improv is an art form governed by a series of rules, and they want to make sure that when they’re up onstage, everyone abides by those rules.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell