artist
Americannoun
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artists
plural
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a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.
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a person who practices one of the fine arts, especially a painter or sculptor.
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a person whose trade or profession requires a knowledge of design, drawing, painting, etc..
a commercial artist.
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a person who works in one of the performing arts, as an actor, musician, or singer; a public performer.
a mime artist; an artist of the dance.
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a person whose work exhibits exceptional skill.
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a person who is expert at trickery or deceit.
He's an artist with cards.
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Obsolete. an artisan.
noun
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a person who practises or is skilled in an art, esp painting, drawing, or sculpture
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a person who displays in his work qualities required in art, such as sensibility and imagination
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a person whose profession requires artistic expertise, esp a designer
a commercial artist
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a person skilled in some task or occupation
an artist at bricklaying
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obsolete an artisan
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slang a person devoted to or proficient in something
a booze artist
a con artist
Synonym Usage
Artist, artisan, artiste are persons having superior skill or ability, or who are capable of producing superior work. An artist is a person engaged in some type of fine art. An artisan is engaged in a craft or applied art. An artiste is usually a skilled public performer.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of artist
First recorded in 1575–85; from Middle French artiste, from Medieval Latin artista “master of arts”; equivalent to art 1 + -ist
Explanation
An artist is someone whose life's work — or passionate hobby — focuses on some creative enterprise. If you love to paint portraits of your dog, you are an artist. People who make films, write short stories, or build beautiful dollhouses are all artists. Doing anything that involves creativity and imagination, especially if it yields some finished project, is being an artist. Sometimes people use the word for someone who's great at what she does, or who uses extra flair or originality: "That barista is a total artist — look, she made my latte foam look like a hedgehog!" The Latin root is ars, or "art."
Vocabulary lists containing artist
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In 1955, she wrote to artist Georgia O’Keeffe for advice on how to navigate the “hard life” of a painter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
She was writing songs in support of gay family members back in 1991, the first mainstream country artist to do so.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
Using bright colours, shapes, patterns and reflections, Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who has died at the age of 97, was known for creating extraordinary immersive worlds that delighted millions of people around the globe.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The dotty pumpkins and kaleidoscope rooms of Yayoi Kusama, who has died aged 97, were as vibrant as the artist herself, but her exuberant work was the expression of a long battle with mental illness.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
“Beowulf is right,” she said, “This is by the same artist who painted a rather disturbing mural in the attic of Ashton Place.”
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Despite her prevalence on the New York scene, Ms. Kusama struggled to find success while artists with whom she exhibited—and who often borrowed ideas from her uncredited—quickly achieved fame and a sizable market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
For this filmmaking couple, reaching maturity as artists forged in the complex context of a modern colony hinges on acknowledging their limitations and still persevering.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
It’s like police hunting for a couple of rogue graffiti artists on a crowded street where everyone is carrying a can of spray paint.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
The latter gave rise to the idea that fans had a right to know more about their favorite artists, up to and including where they stood on specific political issues.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
Perhaps the most gifted artist of his time—a time that includes the most gifted artists of all time—cannot be bothered to paint.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
