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Synonyms

visual arts

American  

plural noun

  1. the arts created primarily for visual perception, as drawing, graphics, painting, sculpture, and the decorative arts.

visual arts British  

plural noun

  1. the arts of painting, sculpting, photography, etc, as opposed to music, drama, and literature

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Ms. Chan cites these prehistoric connections as examples of how tightly humanity has entwined music into its visual arts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

When he returned to L.A., where he had studied journalism at USC, Nicholas took classes in the visual arts and built a law practice that included representation of artists and galleries.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2025

Multiple studies have shown that visual arts training improves observational skills, communication and empathy among both medical students and residents in ophthalmology, nuclear medicine, radiology, and dermatology.

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2024

Instead of doing that, I went to art school, which somehow was more respectable, and studied visual arts.

From Salon • Sep. 28, 2024

No music, theater, visual arts, or literature class will ever be able to compete with that.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

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.