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

See Examples For:

art form

Netflix and other streamers have already split the film industry down the middle, separating those who venerate the art form from those who venerate the dollar, leaving many Hollywood titans flailing somewhere in the middle.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

“Mexodus,” a live-looping, hip-hop musical about an enslaved person who seeks sanctuary south of the border, offers encouraging signs of life for the art form.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

But he added there had been a "striking evolution" where postcards had become "more of a collector's item, transforming into a mini art form".

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

The actress sees cooking as an art form.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

At one time he had almost developed it into an art form, practicing the hobby with the skill and fervor of an artist and philosopher, a scholar and gentleman.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole