artist
Americannoun
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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:
The Hay Wain exhibition is the second of three to celebrate the artist.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
In April, Spotify launched a "Verified by Spotify" label to signal that users can "trust the authenticity" of an artist, and last year the company announced new efforts to support AI disclosure and combat impersonation.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
A coalition of record label and artist groups is pushing streaming giants to label music generated with artificial intelligence, as the industry grapples with how AI is changing the business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
She walked in and looked at a drawing of Rogue that Larry Houston, the storyboard artist and director of the show, had drawn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Yes—Daddy—but all of it, really. Being an artist, living in San Francisco—having you. That’s what I wanted my whole life, my every dream come true.”
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
He is among a new wave of artists who have been hosting shows along the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Other highlights include coverage from UK festivals and live music events, documentaries celebrating Madonna, Wham! and David Bowie and performances from artists such as Charli XCX and Sam Smith.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
There’s other artists who cannot come back to perform right now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
An RIAA-led coalition of groups representing music labels and artists says fans want transparency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
To do this, most artists would observe horses, and Leonardo does exactly that.
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.
