impressionist
Americannoun
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a person who follows or adheres to the theories, methods, and practices of impressionism, especially in the fields of painting, music, or literature.
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an entertainer who does impressions.
adjective
noun
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(usually capital) any of the French painters of the late 19th century who were exponents of impressionism
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(sometimes capital) any artist, composer, or writer who uses impressionism
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an entertainer who impersonates famous people
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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impressionisticadjective
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nonimpressionisticadjective
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semi-impressionisticadjective
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impressionisticallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of impressionist
From the French word impressionniste, dating back to 1875–80. See impression, -ist
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.
See Examples For:
British paintings with repeat sales posted the best mean return of 3.4%, followed by impressionist works with 3.1%.
From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026
He spent the better part of a decade in the impressionist and modern-art department before moving to work under Tobias Meyer, then Sotheby’s worldwide head of contemporary art and principal auctioneer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025
Born in Worcestershire in 1958, Sir Lenny has been performing since he was 16 years old, first as an impressionist on a TV talent show and then as a stand-up comedian.
From BBC ● May 20, 2025
Nahmad is the son of a billionaire art dealer; his family has one of the world’s largest collections of impressionist and modernist art.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2024
Before long, everyone in the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg— the men out there scouring the continent for hidden libraries, concealed prayer scrolls, closeted impressionist paintings—will be handed rifles and sent into the fire.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
The fluid brushstrokes made Hals a major influence of later artists like Vincent van Gogh and impressionists like Édouard Manet.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
“All the impressionists even had classes with each other.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 22, 2023
It’s more evidence that Johnson is one of sharpest impressionists in comedy today.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2023
Q: Your distinctive speaking style is irresistible to impressionists.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 17, 2022
Degas is the only other painter usually classed with the impressionists, of whom this may not be said.
From French Art Classic and Contemporary Painting and Sculpture by Brownell, W. C. (William Crary)
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.
