arts

British  

/ ɑːts /

plural noun

1. 1. imaginative, creative, and nonscientific branches of knowledge considered collectively, esp as studied academically

   2. ( as modifier )

      an arts degree

2. See fine art

3. cunning or crafty actions or plots; schemes

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Explanation

The arts are subjects that you study in school which have some artistic or social aspect, rather than being purely practical or job-related. If you major in English and minor in music, you're studying the arts. University subjects and separate colleges — and often even the degrees they award — are sometimes divided into arts and sciences. The arts include things like dance and photography, but also subjects such as Latin or religion. Sciences include, obviously, science, but also more professional and occupational studies. The root of arts is the Latin ars, "art."

Example Sentences

In a time when the social climate is as unpredictable as the arts, Jake Gyllenhaal is betting on red-blooded masculinity, and the odds are in his favor.

From Salon • May 27, 2026

Outside students from a liberal arts college are practiced in abstract analytical thinking—how institutions are made, what purpose they serve, for whom.

From Slate • May 27, 2026

The orchestra’s vast ambition reaches into — and often reinvents — music education, pop music, film music, Latino culture, visual arts, theater, architecture, classical music, opera and avant-garde new music.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

Among the buildings damaged in the weekend attack was the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, a small college that specialises in liberal arts.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

How might you adapt some of these to a language arts lesson?

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin