tastemaker

[ teyst-mey-ker ]

noun

1. a person or thing that establishes or strongly influences what is considered to be stylish, acceptable, or worthwhile in a given sphere of interest, as the arts.

tastemaker

/ ˈteɪstˌmeɪkə /

noun

1. a person or group that sets a new fashion

Word History and Origins

Origin of tastemaker¹

First recorded in 1950–55; taste + maker

Example Sentences

In May, following the death of Steve Albini, the engineer and tastemaker who helped define the aesthetics of independent rock in the early 1990s, a consensus about his past work started to emerge: Among the slew of albums that Albini recorded in those days, few encapsulated his signature sonic wallop — and the potency of the broader scene he championed — better than the early work of the Jesus Lizard.

From New York Times

Antoci is co-owner and chief tastemaker of the hyper-trendy luxury organic grocer: first in line to vet and sample every prospective product, and the final authority on which ones make the cut.

From Los Angeles Times

He was a tastemaker as the chairman of the National Book Award fiction jury, the Pulitzer Prize fiction jury and other such posts.

From New York Times

She left the company in 2002, and though she made forays into the industry again, she never fully recovered her promising trajectory as a music tastemaker.

From New York Times

That title yielded the "Housewives" brand's main tastemaker Bethenny Frankel and "Crappie Lake" co-star Luann de Lesseps.

From Salon