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.

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

The best friends met at the creative arts high school where Escoto studied visual arts and Perkins learned dance.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2025

He was appointed an OBE for services to visual arts in 2003.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 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

In the visual arts, the term classical refers to ancient Greece and Rome.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

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