Ruskin

American  

[ruhs-kin] / ˈrʌs kɪn /

noun

1. John, 1819–1900, English author, art critic, and social reformer.

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Ruskin British  

/ ˈrʌskɪn /

noun

1. John . 1819–1900, English art critic and social reformer. He was a champion of the Gothic Revival and the Pre-Raphaelites and saw a close connection between art and morality. From about 1860 he argued vigorously for social and economic planning. His works include Modern Painters (1843–60), The Stones of Venice (1851–53), Unto this Last (1862), Time and Tide (1867), and Fors Clavigera (1871–84)

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Other Word Forms

• Ruskinean adjective
• Ruskinian adjective

Example Sentences

The research was carried out by primatologist Professor Anna Nekaris OBE of Anglia Ruskin University along with collaborators from the conservation group Plumploris e.V. and the University of Western Australia.

From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026

Most surprising: a large, meticulous study of details of San Marco by John Ruskin.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 11, 2025

After being recovered and restored, and with a lengthy ownership row settled, it was handed to Coniston's Ruskin Museum last year.

From BBC • Oct. 7, 2025

Drivers will be reduced, as John Ruskin once said of railroad passengers, from active travelers to “human parcels.”

From Slate • Jun. 10, 2025

"I had rather," said Ruskin once, "live in a cottage and wonder at everything, than live in Warwick Castle and wonder at nothing."

From One Day at a Time and Other Talks on Life and Religion by Alexander, Arch.