visual arts

American

plural noun

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

visual arts British

plural noun

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.

He doesn’t necessarily think he was “anointed” for any of these paths, but his love and appreciation for the visual arts propelled him.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

According to “Duet,” Eleanor Chan’s lively illustrated history of the bond between music and the visual arts, those underground shelters were not merely ancient art galleries.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

However, studies examining the benefits of visual arts training for neurology residents remain scarce.

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

The completed National Core Arts Standards include dance, media arts, music, theater, and visual arts.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023