artistic
Americanadjective
-
conforming to the standards of art; satisfying aesthetic requirements.
artistic productions.
-
showing skill or excellence in execution.
artistic workmanship.
-
exhibiting taste, discriminating judgment, or sensitivity.
an artistic arrangement of flowers; artistic handling of a delicate diplomatic situation.
-
exhibiting an involvement in or appreciation of art, especially the fine arts.
He had wide-ranging artistic interests.
-
involving only aesthetic considerations, usually taken as excluding moral, practical, religious, political, or similar concerns.
artistic principles.
-
of art or artists.
artistic works.
-
of, like, or thought of as characteristic of an artist.
an artistic temperament.
adjective
-
of or characteristic of art or artists
-
performed, made, or arranged decoratively and tastefully; aesthetically pleasing
-
appreciative of and sensitive to beauty in art
-
naturally gifted with creative skill
Other Word Forms
- artistically adverb
- interartistic adjective
- nonartistic adjective
- nonartistical adjective
- nonartistically adverb
- preartistic adjective
- pseudoartistic adjective
- pseudoartistically adverb
- quasi-artistic adjective
- quasi-artistically adverb
- unartistic adjective
- unartistically adverb
Etymology
Origin of artistic
Explanation
The adjective artistic describes people who are creative or creations called "art." While you might not consider the sculptor Oldenburg's inflatable toilet as "art," recreating something ordinary in a unique way is very artistic. Artistic often describes something pleasing to look at, but you don't have to like everything called artistic. If you make paintings, clay figures, or computer drawings, you're being artistic, because you're creating works of art. If you're creative in a less structured way — say, you arrange everything on your desk by shape and color so it looks nice and you enjoy doing it — that's artistic too. It may not always be "art," but it's still artistic creation.
Vocabulary lists containing artistic
Week 1 Spelling
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Journeys," Vocabulary from Lesson 16
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
"His unique artistic style, combined with his deep connection to Birmingham, makes this a truly special project," they said.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
It proved, he said, artistic expression was not exclusively human in origin.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026
But as it stands, these product partnerships degrade the value of the original film and the property as an artistic entity.
From Salon • Apr. 20, 2026
Here’s a glimpse into what’s been lost and what methods are being used to protect artistic and historic sites during wartime now.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
A good naturalist needed more than just a scientific mind—she needed artistic skill.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
