adjective / noun
aesthetic
es-THET-ik/esˈθetɪk/
Concerned with beauty and artistic taste.
Balanced shapes and harmonious colors give the still life aesthetic appeal.
Etymology
Originally concerned with sensory perception generally, aesthetic became associated with criticism of taste and appreciation of beauty. That narrower connection underlies its use for art and pleasing appearance.
In context
the greatest aesthetic discovery of my life has been to see the ugliness to find a way to write about it
More examples
- Natural wood and soft colors define the restaurant's aesthetic.
- The repairs solved structural problems but created aesthetic ones.
- The two designers favor very different aesthetics.
Forms
aesthetic · aesthetics
aesthetically adverb — In relation to beauty or artistic taste.
Similar words
- artistic
- Relates to creating or appreciating art, not beauty generally.
- decorative
- Emphasizes ornament or appearance rather than an overall artistic sensibility.