artist
Americannoun
-
artists
plural
-
a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.
-
a person who practices one of the fine arts, especially a painter or sculptor.
-
a person whose trade or profession requires a knowledge of design, drawing, painting, etc..
a commercial artist.
-
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.
-
a person whose work exhibits exceptional skill.
-
a person who is expert at trickery or deceit.
He's an artist with cards.
-
Obsolete. an artisan.
noun
-
a person who practises or is skilled in an art, esp painting, drawing, or sculpture
-
a person who displays in his work qualities required in art, such as sensibility and imagination
-
a person whose profession requires artistic expertise, esp a designer
a commercial artist
-
a person skilled in some task or occupation
an artist at bricklaying
-
obsolete an artisan
-
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:
“Hey quick question has your artist ever seen knitting or crochet?” a user replied.
From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026
The Nigerian star will become the first African artist to headline one of the American football league's international games when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Novack’s tip if you can’t find someone who wants your piano: Hire an artist to take it apart and turn it into something new, either furniture or decorative art.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
In each locale, O’Keeffe’s palette and even the vibrancy of her works changed, and in each one her abiding originality, power and finesse as an artist are unmistakable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Cree artist William Kent Monkman reimagined the “discovery of America” with oddly dressed, ill-mannered, and greedy invaders.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
"At the end of the day, as artists, we speak for the culture and we speak for the people that listen to us," she added.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
When it was first performed, Rent shone a light on young friends and artists living in late 1980s and early 1990s New York during the HIV/Aids crisis.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
She’s been paired in shows with artists including Arthur Dove, Henry Moore and Ansel Adams, and examined as an avatar of a stylish personal aesthetic and independent lifestyle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
“But artists will always find a way if we really want to do it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Whereas artisans attempt only what they know to be possible, artists are always driven to attempt the impossible—or at least the improbable or unimaginable.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
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.
