Expressionism

American  

[ik-spresh-uh-niz-uhm] / ɪkˈsprɛʃ əˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. Fine Arts.

   1. (usually lowercase) a manner of painting, drawing, sculpting, etc., in which forms derived from nature are distorted or exaggerated and colors are intensified for emotive or expressive purposes.

   2. a style of art developed in the 20th century, characterized chiefly by heavy, often black lines that define forms, sharply contrasting, often vivid colors, and subjective or symbolic treatment of thematic material.

   3. German Expressionismus.  modern art, especially the experimental or nonacademic styles of contemporary art.

2. (often lowercase) a style of playwriting and stage presentation stressing the emotional content of a play, the subjective reactions of the characters, symbolic or abstract representations of reality, and nonnaturalistic techniques of scenic design.

3. Literature. a technique of distorting objects and events in order to represent them as they are perceived by a character in a literary work.

4. (usually lowercase) a phase in the development of early 20th-century music marked by the use of atonality and complex, unconventional rhythm, melody, and form, intended to express the composer's psychological and emotional life.

---

expressionism British  

/ ɪkˈsprɛʃəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) an artistic and literary movement originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, which sought to express emotions rather than to represent external reality: characterized by the use of symbolism and of exaggeration and distortion

---

expressionism Cultural  

1. An artistic style that departs from the conventions of realism (see also realism) and naturalism (see also naturalism) and seeks to convey inner experience by distorting rather than directly representing natural images. The highly personal visions communicated in the paintings of Vincent van Gogh are early examples of expressionism. Edvard Munch and Georges Rouault are considered expressionist painters.

---

Other Word Forms

• Expressionist noun
• Expressionistic adjective
• Expressionistically adverb
• antiexpressionism noun
• antiexpressionist noun
• antiexpressionistic adjective
• expressionist noun
• expressionistic adjective
• nonexpressionistic adjective
• proexpressionism noun
• proexpressionist noun
• proexpressionistic adjective
• semiexpressionistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Expressionism

1905–10; < German Expressionismus See expression, -ism

Explanation

Expressionism is a style of art dating from the early 1900s that emphasizes feelings and impressions over realism. You'll see many examples of expressionism in most large art museums. Some of the most famous followers of expressionism included Van Gogh, Matisse, Gaugin, and Kandinsky — all of whom can be called expressionists. This style of painting began around the turn of the 20th century and was popular for about 30 years, with the term expressionism eventually describing other art forms, including poetry and dance. Expressionism comes from expression, which was used in the art world to mean "way of expressing."

Example Sentences

In the “Post-World War II” gallery, we read that Abstract Expressionism was “a movement shaped by the work of many Jewish artists” who left realism behind partly because of the war’s trauma.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025

The often-stretched stylings and unconventional palette call to mind German Expressionism and the work of Egon Schiele.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025

Benson is curating a show featuring 24 works from the gift, titled “Austrian Expressionism and Otto Kallir,” which will open Nov. 23 and run through May 31, 2026.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2025

You introduced me to German Expressionism and Lubitsch and Hitchcock and such a broad collection of mostly classic and older films.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 19, 2024

Frasier considers Abstract Expressionism a tired, effete art form.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner