aesthetic

See also: æsthetic

English

Alternative forms

• æsthetic, esthetic

Etymology

From German Ästhetik or French esthétique, both from Ancient Greek αἰσθητικός (aisthētikós, “of sense perception”), from αἰσθάνομαι (aisthánomai, “I feel”).

Pronunciation

• (Conservative RP) IPA^(key): /esˈθe.tɪk/, /iːsˈθet.ɪk/
• (Contemporary RP) IPA^(key): /ɛsˈθɛ.tɪk/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɛsˈθɛ.tɪk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛtɪk

Adjective

aesthetic (comparative more aesthetic, superlative most aesthetic)

1. Concerned with beauty, artistic impact, or appearance.
2. (nonstandard) Beautiful or appealing to one's sense of beauty and/or art.

   It works well enough, but the shabby exterior offends his aesthetic sensibilities.

   • 1881, W. S. Gilbert, Patience, Act I:

     If you're anxious for to shine in the high aesthetic line as a man of culture rare,
     You must get up all the germs of the transcendental terms, and plant them everywhere.

   Synonyms: aesthetical, esthetic, tasteful

   Antonyms: inaesthetic, unaesthetic

Translations

concerned with beauty

• Armenian: գեղագիտական (gełagitakan)
• Bulgarian: естетичен (bg) (estetičen), изящен (bg) (izjašten)
• Catalan: estètic (ca)
• Czech: estetický (cs) m
• Danish: æstetisk
• Dutch: esthetisch (nl)
• Faroese: fagurfrøðiligur, listfrøðiligur
• Finnish: esteettinen (fi)
• French: esthétique (fr)
• Galician: estético m
• German: ästhetisch (de)
• Greek: αισθητικός (el) m (aisthitikós)

• Icelandic: sjónrænn m
• Irish: aeistéitiúil
• Japanese: 美的な (びてきな, biteki na)
• Latvian: estētisks
• Maori: rerehua
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: estetisk (no)

  Nynorsk: estetisk

• Portuguese: estético (pt)
• Russian: эстети́ческий (ru) (estetíčeskij)
• Spanish: estético (es) m
• Swedish: estetisk (sv)

Noun

aesthetic (plural aesthetics)

1. The study of art or beauty.
2. That which appeals to the senses.
3. (Internet slang) The artistic motifs defining a collection of things, especially works of art; more broadly, their vibe

   Her most recent works have this quirky, half-serious 90's teen culture-inspired aesthetic.

Translations

the study of art or beauty — see aesthetics

that which appeals to the senses

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Danish: æstetik c
• Dutch: esthetische (nl) n
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Faroese: fagurfrøði f, listfrøði f
• Finnish: estetiikka (fi)
• French: esthétique (fr) f

• Galician: estética f
• German: Ästhetik (de) f
• Irish: aeistéitiúil
• Portuguese: estética (pt) f
• Russian: эсте́тика (ru) f (estétika)
• Swedish: estetik (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can

Derived terms

• aesthete
• aesthetically
• aesthetician
• aesthetics
• aesthetisation

 

Further reading

• "aesthetic" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 31.

Anagrams

• cheatiest