artist

[ahr-tist]

noun

1. a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.

2. a person who practices one of the fine arts, especially a painter or sculptor.

3. a person whose trade or profession requires a knowledge of design, drawing, painting, etc..

   a commercial artist.

4. 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.

5. a person whose work exhibits exceptional skill.

6. a person who is expert at trickery or deceit.

   He's an artist with cards.

7. Obsolete.,  an artisan.

artist

/ ˈɑːtɪst /

noun

1. a person who practises or is skilled in an art, esp painting, drawing, or sculpture

2. a person who displays in his work qualities required in art, such as sensibility and imagination

3. a person whose profession requires artistic expertise, esp a designer

   a commercial artist

4. a person skilled in some task or occupation

   an artist at bricklaying

5. obsolete,  an artisan

6. slang,  a person devoted to or proficient in something

   a booze artist

   a con artist

Word History and Origins

Origin of artist¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Middle French artiste, from Medieval Latin artista “master of arts”; equivalent to art ¹ + -ist

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

He was also commissioned by Fortnite - which he has said shaped his story as an artist - to create the game's first official anthem, Locked & Loaded.

Read more on BBC

The first, “Scanlines,” concerns German and American artists fascinated by the “electron beam that moved across the screen from left to right and top to bottom” to manifest an image.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He's been a band frontman, a solo artist and a musical theatre star in productions including Chicago, Chess and The Witches of Eastwick.

Read more on BBC

Highlighting the involvement of prominent writers, artists and architects, British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan has insisted the ball will stand apart from New York's Met Gala.

Read more on Barron's

There you are, sitting in traffic in your car, listening to Taylor Swift on Spotify because it’s easier than subjecting yourself to a new, more challenging artist.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• artisan 
• composer 
• expert 
• inventor 
• painter