artisan

American  

[ahr-tuh-zuhn] / ˈɑr tə zən /

noun

artisans plural

1. a person skilled in a utilitarian art, trade, or craft, especially one requiring manual skill; a craftsperson.

2. a person or company that makes a high-quality or distinctive product in small quantities, usually by hand or using traditional methods.

   our favorite local food artisans.

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adjective

1. pertaining to an artisan or the product of an artisan; artisanal.

   artisan beer.

artisan British  

/ ɑːˈtɪzənəl, ˈɑːtɪˌzæn, ˈɑːtɪzənəl, ˌɑːtɪˈzæn /

noun

1. a skilled workman; craftsman

2. obsolete an artist

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Synonym Usage

See artist.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• artisanship
  noun
• artisanal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• artisans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of artisan

First recorded in 1530–40; from French, from Italian artigiano, equivalent to Latin artīt(us) “trained in arts and crafts” (past participle of artīre ) + Italian -iano (from Latin -iānus ); see art ¹, -ite ², -ian

Compare meaning

How does artisan compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• artisan vs. artesian

Explanation

An artisan has both the creativity and the skill to make a product. Wandering around a local craft fair, you will often see artisans selling handicrafts like pot holders or beaded jewelry. In medieval times, blacksmiths, carpenters, and masons were artisan trades. Unskilled laborers were not. The hierarchy of skill and prestige among artisans, from apprentice to journeyman to master, is sometimes reflected in ranks among today’s trade union members. But today an artisan can just be someone who makes attractive and creative work with their hands, like jewelry or pottery. Although, if they're trying to sell their goods, it probably helps if they're very skilled.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

artisan artisans

It is debatable whether Leonardo, or some anonymous artisan, perfected the design, but the first wheellocks emerged soon after.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

A small enclosure was erected as artisan Gianluca Galli began the restoration - kneeling before the mosaic as he cut new pieces of stone by hand.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

Three Iranian men pressed rehydrated raisins at an artisan distillery just outside New York, thousands of miles from their war-struck homeland.

From Barron's ● May 2, 2026

In her work, she strives to focus on the local people who are “truly doing hard farm work, artisan food crafts, biodynamic farming,” which is not the norm in the now-industrialized food country.

From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026

She watched him grow from youth to artisan to business owner to a man in love.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

In Colonial-era America, sculpture was a craft, not an art, its practitioners artisans who fashioned utilitarian objects like ships’ figureheads and shop signs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

After visiting Nisa, the 20 or so tourists with her group returned to Ashgabat for Carpet Day -- a national holiday honouring Turkmen rug artisans -- before visiting yurts and tasting local produce.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

The story of chamoy really parallels this journey of blue-and-white ceramics, which got to Mexico because of Spanish colonialism and then was adopted by local artisans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

As a result, authentic sea silk has become extraordinarily rare and is produced only in tiny amounts by a small number of artisans.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026

The artisans of Kashan and Isfahan and Tabriz and Mashad all knew that only God was perfect—the only one who could listen to and speak the perfect truth.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• builder
• carpenter
• craftsman
• professional