expressionistic

American  

[ik-spre-shuhn-ist-ik] / ɪk sprɛ ʃənˈɪst ɪk /

adjective

1. relating to or characteristic of Expressionism.

---

Other Word Forms

• expressionistically
  adverb

---

Explanation

Something that's expressionistic uses emotions rather than realism to express an artistic idea. An expressionistic painting gives you the general sense of a tree, rather than a photographic duplication of a tree. Expressionistic art, which flourished at the start of the 20th century, used distortion and exaggeration to get feelings and ideas across. Many painters we admire today, including Matisse, Monet, and Van Gogh, all used expressionistic techniques in their work. Other forms of art, including poetry, prose, and dance, can also be done in an expressionistic style. The root word is expression, used in the art world to mean "way of expressing."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

expressionistic

Mocked by some as the “Darth Vader” façade for its bizarrely helmeted Roman soldiers, the Passion façade embodies the New Testament story of betrayal, suffering and transcendence in angular, expressionistic figures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

“Her Private Hell” is an expressionistic sci-fi fantasy set in a skyscraper hotel that stretches into the clouds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

But in these works, trippy colors, exaggerated and expressionistic figures and unconventional arrangements seem to be enough to qualify them as surreal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025

She admires spontaneous, expressionistic artists, but she has more of “a cool side.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025

Mrs. Renshaw maintains her high place as a philosophical and expressionistic bard, though hampered by unusual theories of spontaneous versification.

From Writings in the United Amateur, 1915-1922 by H. P. (Howard Phillips) Lovecraft

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---