Arty

¹

[ahr-tee]

noun

1. a first name, form of Arthur.

Arty.

²

abbreviation

1. Artillery.

arty

³

[ahr-tee]

adjective

Informal.

artier, artiest 

1. characterized by a showy, pretentious, and often spurious display of artistic interest, manner, or mannerism.

arty

/ ˈɑːtɪ /

adjective

1. informal,  having an ostentatious or affected interest in or desire to imitate artists or artistic standards

Other Word Forms

• artily adverb
• artiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Arty¹

First recorded in 1900–05; art ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Gregory, however, says he understood Dickinson’s artier touches on a personal level.

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His three sisters - Rachel, Tanya and Fiona - remember him as an "arty, sporty" brother who was keen on the environment and loved running in the Scottish hills.

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That work paid off with “I’m a TV,” Martin’s debut album of original songwriting that evokes the millennial indie they grew up on as well as the arty pop of the Largo canon.

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It featured the same jackets-off, casual image, but there was also a designer chic, with an arty black-and-white picture that wouldn't have looked out of place in an upmarket jeans advert.

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Last year they were seen in a rather arty black and white picture, showing them together as a family, but also with a style that owed something to an upmarket jeans advert.

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Related Words

• pretentious