atelier
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of atelier
First recorded in 1830–40; from French: literally, “pile of chips” (hence, “workshop”), from Old French astele “chip (from Late Latin astella “splinter,” diminutive of Latin astula, assula “splinter,” equivalent to ass(is) “plank, board” + -ula ) + -ier noun suffix; see -ule, -ier 2
Explanation
An atelier is a workshop where an artist creates. An atelier is basically a studio, but it sounds way cooler. It’s a French word, so say it with an accent. An atelier is a room where artists make their work. A painter’s atelier will be full of paint, brushes, canvases, and other tools of the trade. Sculptors and designers also have ateliers. An atelier gives the artist the space and privacy needed to create. An atelier is a place of creativity.
Vocabulary lists containing atelier
The Awakening
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Art History
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Furia
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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.
On view were hastily brushed, large canvases of musketeers, toreadors, atelier scenes and cavorting couples.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
Seamstresses from the Valentino atelier, next to the Foundation, joined the hundreds of mourners paying their respects, while the windows in the Valentino shop were shrouded by blackout blinds.
From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026
He enrolled in a traditionalistic atelier poorly suited for forward-thinking painters.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
Featuring a fantastical garden of creatures lining the windows, all created using upcycled fabrics by the atelier, I had to pause on the sidewalk to whip out my phone and capture the scene before me.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2025
He resented the intrusion of the children, who gaped with wondering eyes at him, sitting so stiff up there in their mother’s bright atelier.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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.
