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• 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.

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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.

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Art ³ American  

[ahrt] / ɑrt /

noun

1. a first name, form of Arthur.

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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.

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-art ⁵ American  

1. variant of -ard.

   braggart.

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art. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

• arts
  plural

1. article; articles.

2. artificial.

3. artillery.

4. artist.

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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

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-art ² British  

suffix

1. a variant of -ard

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ART ³ British  

abbreviation

1. assisted reproductive technology

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art ⁴ British  

/ ɑːt /

verb

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

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art Idioms  

1. see fine art; state of the art.

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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

Mark, an illustrator with millions of followers, revealed a deep sense of dread about what was once his dream: to make a living creating art and sharing it online.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

One wildly successful creator, Maya, recalled receiving direct messages from fans that her art was the only thing getting them through death, divorce and other catastrophic life events.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

They’ll be encouraged to connect their personal experiences to works in the museum’s collection while also considering how they might creatively express their own life stories, from their individual communities, through art.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

Nothing in Muratov’s youth predicted his passion for art.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

“This is awesome,” I say, helping Lily sort through the art supplies.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Now, imagine all that delirium, sign-waving and call-in voting was in service of pushing Art Garfunkel to the pinnacle of the premier music video countdown.

From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026

A spokesperson for Art Not Evidence said they welcomed the Met Police's recognition that care and safeguards were needed when putting rap and drill music evidence before juries.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Her comeback began when the Center for International Contemporary Art in New York held a retrospective of her work in 1989.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Art provided a release for the young Kusama, whose father, a seedling merchant, was unfaithful to her mother.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Art had escaped, or partially escaped, from Aristotle, and it had done so under the guidance of geometry and optics.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The study was conducted in animal models that closely reflect people living with HIV who are receiving ART, and the results were recently published in Science Advances.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 21, 2026

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

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

It also shows that Lipka joined ART’s board of directors that year, and received a $149,000 loan from ART for “program service revenue receivables.”

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

“Football is an art. And that’s why we love it,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

"I don't think so. I don't think it's an art. No."

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

“Express your art. Know your history. Just use your God-given talent to express yourself,” he’d say.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2025

The Polish embassy said Smuss "lectured youth on the history of Polish Jews and expressed his memories through art. His legacy endures."

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2025

“Eternal City. Lots of art. Churches every which way.”

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Syracuse retains a number of world class programs, including architecture, public policy, communications and dramatic arts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Fuentes pointed to her own upbringing to illustrate the importance of accessibility programs in the arts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

He said he went on the show looking for further investment in his arts business, but all the Dragons agreed instead that he needed sound advice in order to expand.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

In 1969, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum opened here, a long, low modernist building in a woodland park, housing a stellar collection of antiquities, and Islamic, Asian and European paintings, sculpture and decorative arts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Teach the arts for reasons beyond the research.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

• craft
• profession