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View synonyms for aesthetic

aesthetic

or es·thet·ic

[ es-thet-ikor, especially British, ees- ]

adjective

  1. relating to the philosophy of aesthetics; concerned with notions such as the beautiful and the ugly.
  2. relating to the science of aesthetics; concerned with the study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty.
  3. having a sense of the beautiful; characterized by a love of beauty.

    Synonyms: refined, cultivated, discriminating

  4. relating to, involving, or concerned with pure emotion and sensation as opposed to pure intellectuality.


noun

  1. the philosophical theory or set of principles governing the idea of beauty at a given time and place:

    the clean lines, bare surfaces, and sense of space that bespeak the machine-age aesthetic;

    the Cubist aesthetic.

  2. a particular individual’s set of ideas about style and taste, along with its expression:

    the designer’s aesthetic of accessible, wearable fashion;

    a great aesthetic on her blog.

  3. one’s set of principles or worldview as expressed through outward appearance, behavior, or actions:

    the democratic aesthetic of the abolitionists.

  4. Archaic. the study of the nature of sensation.

aesthetic

/ ɪs-; iːsˈθɛtɪk /

adjective

  1. connected with aesthetics or its principles
    1. relating to pure beauty rather than to other considerations
    2. artistic or relating to good taste

      an aesthetic consideration



noun

  1. a principle of taste or style adopted by a particular person, group, or culture

    the Bauhaus aesthetic of functional modernity

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Derived Forms

  • aesˈthetically, adverb

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Other Words From

  • nonaes·thetic adjective
  • pseudo·aes·thetic adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of aesthetic1

First recorded in 1795–1800; from New Latin aesthēticus, from Greek aisthētikós “pertaining to sense perception, perceptible, sensitive,” equivalent to aisthēt(ḗs) ( aesthete ) + -ikos -ic

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Example Sentences

Its farmhouse-style, brown paper brings a subtle but neutral aesthetic, and the pages also include holes if you prefer to hang it up.

This product comes in eight different colors to fit your own aesthetic, and it makes for a great functional decor item.

As such, it’s worth noting that the beginning of this decade has more of a cyberpunk aesthetic than we’d like.

Renaissance artists coined the term to describe a novel aesthetic defined by extreme contrasts between the bright and dim parts of a painting.

Staying away from Amazon and similar e-commerce platforms meant luxury brands could retain aesthetic control of their online channels.

From Digiday

The downtown Baltimore stadium was a game-changer in design, aesthetics and location.

To appreciate these ideas is to appreciate a form of abstraction, and this sense of aesthetics often feels cold and formal.

These are models that have minimal polygons that tend to create an aesthetic like a classic video game.

The high heel has gone through endless aesthetic changes throughout the years.

So, the display—which has the aesthetic sophistication of a middle school science project—will go up for week.

For aesthetic reasons, ski resort operators try to limit the noise and infrastructure associated with producing power.

Umm…to me, pop music is more of a science term than an aesthetic.

But the softness, the muted quality in turn became an aesthetic.

Whether it ultimately takes aesthetic discipline or neurosis to get to that point, it's hard to say.

How do you tell the difference between aesthetic discipline and neurosis?

She began to adopt a neorealist aesthetic, seeing the beauty in “imperfections.”

There is a consistent aesthetic to the art that catches Goyeneche's eye.

Even the watermelon he serves me is in keeping with a certain aesthetic—perfectly arranged squares, like a Mondrian painting.

These were men of their time, and their aesthetic interest in the ancient world was throttled by Christian prudery.

The “urban camper” aesthetic which is “cozy and cool,” as Taylor described, stemmed from her mix media paintings.

But the very decision to sell songs to targeted genre fans has turned into an aesthetic straitjacket.

Although Nate likes to think of himself as moral, his judgments of both women and men are ultimately aesthetic.

It was just an aesthetic taste thing that happened to align.

Breadboard is one of the super essential parts of making anything electronic, so can we make that part of the nail aesthetic?

I feel like a lot of my work is very much inspired by his aesthetic too.

The store became famous for “wonky carrots”—the type often rejected by supermarkets on aesthetic grounds.

It was this idea of theater and performance that fascinated Yudashkin and served as the inspiration for his design aesthetic.

MAC has a very clear aesthetic, that has always felt fashion forward to me.

Aesthetic considerations sometimes have great weight, especially in towns.

Thyrsis would cry, whenever these aesthetic impulses manifested themselves.

It is true that Christianity does not teach aesthetic culture, but it teaches the duties which prevent the eclipse of Art.

The denoument especially is unfortunate, and sins against our moral and aesthetic instinct.

It is probable, I think, that there is a point where the ascetic principle and the aesthetic become one and the same.

It might have been different, of course, had Malmsworth been able to appreciate the aesthetic values of life, as Mr. Wordsley did.

Reading poetry helps to develop the aesthetic sense; pictures help also, and nature.

In a word, there is no other way to make a reasonable being out of a sensuous man than by making him first aesthetic.

Accordingly the aesthetic constitution is in relation to determinableness what thought is in relation to determination.

In this realm of the beautiful or the aesthetic state, man ought to appear to man only as a form, and an object of free play.

The aesthetic state alone can make it real, because it carries out the will of all through the nature of the individual.

The aesthetic communication alone unites society because it applies to what is common to all its members.

But would the action have continued moral in both cases, if we suppose the aesthetic taste to have taken part in it?

Judged from the aesthetic point of view, it gives me the idea of the moral faculty, independent of every constraint of instinct.

Thus the aesthetic force is necessarily obliged to rest in the first place in the idea of possibility.

In a scientific lecture the senses are altogether set aside; in an aesthetic address it is wished to interest them.

The former in all respects is below aesthetic dignity; the second in many cases may perfectly agree with it.

But in the aesthetic judgment he is raised one degree higher and made better adapted to figure in a work of art.

This consciousness of ourselves must always dominate in order that the great and the horrible may have for us an aesthetic value.

The great and the terrible can therefore be of themselves in certain cases a source of aesthetic pleasure.

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About This Word

What else does aesthetic mean?

Aesthetic concerns what is considered beautiful.

In pop culture, an aesthetic refers to the overall style of someone or something, like a musical sound, interior design, or even a social-media presence.

In the 2010s, the term became closely associated with vaporwave culture on Tumblr.

Where did the term aesthetic come from?

Tumblr kids might want to imagine that they made up aesthetic, but they ultimately have 18th-century German philosopher Alexander Baumgarten for coining aesthetics, recorded in English in the 1760–70s. Treated in ancient and modern philosophy alike, aesthetics considers how humans experience and appreciate beauty, art, and taste.

Fast forward to the 2010s, when the music genre vaporwave helped bring the term aesthetic to the mainstream. Several releases were influential in popularizing the term, including Macintosh Plus’s album Floral Shoppe (2012) and Savvy J’s video “AESTHETIC” (2013).

Vaporwave had a very defined aesthetic—or the curated appearance or style of something, especially when it comes to a look, art, or design, a sense of the word which dates back to the 1950s. Its album covers featured 1980–90s graphics, bright, airbrushed pinks and purples, and images of classical statues and retro technology. While people in vaporwave culture were proud of their aesthetic, others began to satirize its originality online.

Meanwhile, many on social media sites like Tumblr began cultivating blogs with a particular aesthetic, typically based on a particular theme, look, feel, or interest—helping to make this fancy, philosophical word with Greek roots a more common term for “beautiful” or “well-styled.”

How to use the term aesthetic

Aesthetic is both a noun and adjective and is used by everyone from philosophers to bloggers. Something that has aesthetic appeal is very beautiful, attractive, or stylish. Something that has a certain aesthetic features a well-defined and well-cultivated style (e.g., a shabby chic aesthetic, goth aesthetic, or minimalist aesthetic in one’s dress, home, lifestyle, or work). Having a recognizable aesthetic is considered complementary and very desirable, especially in an age of personal brands.

More examples of aesthetic:

“Pop stars, such as rising artist Rina Sawayama, have adopted the aesthetic and made it a central part of their image, both aesthetically and sonically. Charli XCX and Troye Sivan even released a tribute track entitled “1999,” with album artwork featuring the two artists dressed as characters from “The Matrix,” a film essential to the development of the early 2000s aesthetic.”
—Michael Wu, Study Breaks, October 2018

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.

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