Beaux-Arts
Americanadjective
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noting or pertaining to a style of architecture, popularly associated with the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, that prevailed in France in the late 19th century and that was adopted in the U.S. and elsewhere c1900, characterized by the free and eclectic use and adaptation of French architectural features of the 16th through 18th centuries combined so as to give a massive, elaborate, and often ostentatious effect, and also by the use of symmetrical plans preferably allowing vast amounts of interior space.
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resembling the architecture, architectural precepts, or teaching methods of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris: often used in a pejorative sense to designate excessive formalism disregarding considerations of structural truth, advanced aesthetic theory, rational planning, or economy.
plural noun
plural noun
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another word for fine art
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(modifier) relating to the classical decorative style, esp that of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris
beaux-arts influences
Etymology
Origin of Beaux-Arts
First recorded in 1815–25
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.
The retailer occupied various locations over the years and moved to its current Beaux-Arts home in 1928.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 21, 2025
The larger of the two is a monumental bronze figure on horseback, cast by Beaux-Arts sculptor Charles Cary Rumsey in the first decade of the 20th century and titled “The Dying Indian.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2025
These uncomfortable nights paid off - after graduating in 2003 the soon-to-be-star was accepted into Ivory Coast's leading art school, École des Beaux-Arts.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2024
The newest addition to Frieze Week is taking over the New York Estonian House, a Beaux-Arts townhouse at 243 East 34th Street, through May 4.
From New York Times • May 2, 2024
Outside the Academie des Beaux-Arts he wanders for hours through the shops selling prints, eventually buying a drawing of the Hotel de Lauzun.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
