aesthete

[ es-theetor, especially British, ees- ]

noun

1. a person who has or professes to have refined sensitivity toward the beauties of art or nature.

   Synonyms: connoisseur

2. a person who affects great love of art, music, poetry, etc., and indifference to practical matters.

   Synonyms: dilettante

aesthete

/ ˈiːsθiːt /

noun

1. a person who has or who affects a highly developed appreciation of beauty, esp in poetry and the visual arts

Other Words From

• hyper·aesthete noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of aesthete¹

1880–85; < Greek aisthētḗs one who perceives, equivalent to aisthē- (variant stem of aisthánesthai to perceive) + -tēs noun suffix denoting agent

Word History and Origins

Origin of aesthete¹

C19: back formation from aesthetics

Example Sentences

It telegraphs that Abigail is no barbaric horror fiend but instead a sophisticated aesthete, which makes her both scarier and funnier.

From New York Times

The most numerous of these organs are called aesthetes, small sensory structures found in the outermost layer of the shells of all chitons.

From Science Daily

This is not a colony of “tiny houses,” popular among minimalists and aesthetes looking to simplify their lives.

From New York Times

As the plot swings between slightly overbearing teen angst and extrapolations into quantum physics — itself an extended metaphor for the angst-inducing, open-ended possibilities of adolescence — the art in-jokes feel like a concession to adult aesthetes.

From New York Times

Some people see collectors as hard-nosed aesthetes with narrow focus, always perusing catalogs and price lists.

From Seattle Times