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aesthetic

Syllabification: (aes·thet·ic)
Pronunciation: /esˈTHetik/

(also esthetic)
Translate aesthetic | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of aesthetic

adjective

  • concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty:the pictures give great aesthetic pleasure
  • giving or designed to give pleasure through beauty; of pleasing appearance.

noun

[in singular]
  • a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement:the Cubist aesthetic

Derivatives

aesthetically

Pronunciation: /-ik(ə)lē/

adverb
[as submodifier]:an aesthetically pleasing color combination

Origin:

late 18th century (in the sense 'relating to perception by the senses'): from Greek aisthētikos, from aisthēta 'perceptible things', from aisthesthai 'perceive'. The sense 'concerned with beauty' was coined in German in the mid 18th century and adopted into English in the early 19th century, but its use was controversial until late in the century

Spelling help

Aesthetic can also be spelled esthetic: both are correct.

aesthetic in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of aesthetic in the British & World English dictionary
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