aesthetic

adjective

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aes·thet·ic | \ es-ˈthe-tik

, is-, British usually ēs- \

variants: also US esthetic or aesthetical or US esthetical \ es-ˈthe-ti-kəl

, is- , British usually ēs- \

Definition of aesthetic

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : of, relating to, or dealing with aesthetics or the beautiful aesthetic theories

b : artistic a work of aesthetic value

c : pleasing in appearance : attractive … easy-to-use keyboards, clear graphics, and other ergonomic and aesthetic features …— Mark Mehler

2 : appreciative of, responsive to, or zealous about the beautiful also : responsive to or appreciative of what is pleasurable to the senses his aesthetic sensibility

3 : done or made to improve a person's appearance or to correct defects in a person's appearance aesthetic plastic surgery

aesthetic

noun

aes·thet·ic | \ es-ˈthe-tik

, is-, British usually ēs- \

variants: or less commonly esthetic

Definition of aesthetic (Entry 2 of 2)

1 aesthetics also esthetics\ es-ˈthe-tiks

, is- , British usually ēs- \ plural in form but singular or plural in construction : a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste and with the creation and appreciation of beauty

2 : a particular theory or conception of beauty or art : a particular taste for or approach to what is pleasing to the senses and especially sight modernist aesthetics staging new ballets which reflected the aesthetic of the new nation— Mary Clarke & Clement Crisp

3 aesthetics also esthetics plural : a pleasing appearance or effect : beauty appreciated the aesthetics of the gemstones

Other Words from aesthetic Synonyms & Antonyms The Singular (Or Plural) Art of Aesthetics More Example Sentences Phrases Containing aesthetic Learn More About aesthetic

The Singular (Or Plural) Art of Aesthetics

Noun

The noun aesthetic is often found used in its plural form. In the plural form, aesthetics can refer to the theory of art and beauty—and in particular the question of what makes something beautiful or interesting to regard:

Although he could extemporize animatedly about the history of the valve seat grinder, or the art of ropemaking, or how long it took to manually drill blast holes into a deposit of coal, aesthetics were another matter. The unlikely beauty of his rusty treasures defied elaboration.
Donovan Hohn, Harper’s, January 2005

This sense is sometimes encountered in constructions that treat it as singular:

With the removal of the studio packages, those cinema owners still providing double features began exploring less arbitrary and more justified pairings of films. The double feature became a special element of movie houses concentrating on the presentation of classic and art films. And this is where an aesthetics of the double feature emerges.
Chadwick Jenkins, PopMatters, 16 Aug. 2016

So Sontag was wrong to describe camp as an "unserious, 'aesthete's' vision." Aesthetics is always serious when agreed-upon interpretations are changed or stolen or emptied out.
Dave Hickey, Harper's, December 2009

A word that follows a similar pattern is poetics, (which also happens to be the title of a work by Aristotle focusing on literary theory and discourse):

A poetics of film, he has argued, seeks to reveal the conventions that films use to achieve their effects-and cognitive explanations provide insight into how and why filmic conventions, like shot-reverse-shot or empathy close-ups, produce the effects they do.
Alissa Quart, Lingua Franca, March 2000

As a plural noun, aesthetics can also be used as a synonym for beauty:

For reasons of economy and aesthetics, though, most of the house was stick built and is perfectly cozy without any elaborate beam work.
Andrew Vietze, Down East, May 2003

Examples of aesthetic in a Sentence

Adjective My generation has an annoying penchant for treating luxuries as necessities and turning guilty pleasures into aesthetic and even moral touchstones. — Terrence Rafferty, GQ, October 1997 Whereas the essence of Proust's aesthetic position was contained in the deceptively simple yet momentous assertion that "a picture's beauty does not depend on the things portrayed in it." — Alain de Botton, How Proust Can Change Your Life, 1997 I suppose that jazz listening and prizefight watching are my two most passionate avocations, and this is largely so because the origins of my aesthetic urges are in the black working class. — Gerald Early, "The Passing of Jazz's Old Guard: … ," in The Best American Essays 1986, Elizabeth Hardwick & Robert Atwan, editors, 1986 There are practical as well as aesthetic reasons for planting trees. making aesthetic improvements to the building Noun Aesthetics is an important part of Greek philosophy. the aesthetics of the gemstones See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The campus is also home to GM's Additive Industrialization Center, which opened in 2020 to pioneer GM's initiatives to 3D-print functional and aesthetic components for its vehicles. — Sasha Richie, Car and Driver, 16 June 2022 Added to the proceedings are artists who didn’t record for Black Fire but represented the same era, ethos and aesthetic. — Michael J. West, Washington Post, 9 June 2022 Surgery could have been fully covered by her insurance provider in the U.S., but the GCS technique developed by Dr. Suporn — the Chonburi flap method — is known to produce excellent aesthetic and functional results. — Mailee Osten-tan, Longreads, 8 June 2022 But the campaign is not only about aesthetic and moral values -- there is an ideological component as well. — Nectar Gan, CNN, 30 May 2022 The idea was to make a film that had an aesthetic and a cinematic dimension. — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 28 May 2022 This extra feature focuses on designing the muscle car aesthetic and Mad Max engines, but that sensibility plus the final result on camera was pure Christine. — Mark Hughes, Forbes, 27 May 2022 Faced with that void, Selin interrogates aesthetic and social boundaries. — Lauren Leblanc, BostonGlobe.com, 19 May 2022 Smith explains Marmo’s elegant aesthetic and lively atmosphere sets it apart from Houston’s existing Italian outposts. — Megha Mcswain, Chron, 12 May 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The aesthetic is a nod to the New England waterfront and history from the glacial era, when ice transported massive rocks across land. — Shirley Leung, BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2022 The aesthetic is pitch-perfect for the noir-y tale Spielberg is telling. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 14 June 2022 That whimsical aesthetic is nothing new for the rising style star. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 6 June 2022 The streamlined aesthetic is stylish, yet streamlined enough to match just about any outfit. — Mike Richard, Men's Health, 17 May 2022 With the exception of old standbys like Adirondack chairs and wicker settees, the current aesthetic of most outdoor furnishings is sleekly minimal, with sharp angles and unforgiving forms. — Michelle Slatalla, WSJ, 17 May 2022 This in-house aesthetic has been a constant throughout Sheer Mag’s career. — Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 18 Feb. 2022 This cold press juicer ticks a lot of boxes beyond its sleek aesthetic. — Brigitt Earley, Good Housekeeping, 31 May 2022 The sleek, jet-black aesthetic also makes these the most luxurious and sophisticated steak knives on this list. — Mike Richard, Men's Health, 16 May 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aesthetic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for aesthetic

Adjective

borrowed from German ästhetisch "pertaining to taste or discernment," borrowed from New Latin aestheticus, borrowed from Greek aisthētikós "of sense perception, sensitive, perceptive," from aisthētós "sensible, perceptible" (verbal adjective of aisthánomai, aisthánesthai "to perceive, take notice of, understand," going back to *awis-t^h-, from *awis-, base of Greek aḯein "to perceive, hear" + -t^h-, resultative noun suffix) + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at audible entry 1

Note: German aesthetisch/ästhetisch (New Latin aestheticus) was initially promulgated as a philosophical term in the work of Alexander Baumgarten (1714-62) and subsequently by Immanuel Kant.

Noun

borrowed from German Ästhetik, borrowed from New Latin aesthetica, from feminine of aestheticus aesthetic entry 1 — more at -ics

Learn More About aesthetic

From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

Dictionary Entries Near aesthetic

aesthete

aesthetic

aesthetic distance

Statistics for aesthetic

Last Updated

19 Jun 2022

Cite this Entry

“Aesthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aesthetic. Accessed 24 Jun. 2022.

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More Definitions for aesthetic

aesthetic

adjective

aes·thet·ic | \ es-ˈthe-tik

Kids Definition of aesthetic

: relating to beauty and what is beautiful They made aesthetic improvements to the building.

aesthetic

adjective

aes·thet·ic | \ es-ˈthe-tik, British usually ēs-

Medical Definition of aesthetic

: done or made to improve a person's appearance or to correct defects in a person's appearance aesthetic plastic surgery Dentists are still drilling and filling, but the fastest growing part of the practices are aesthetic procedures, such as bleaching teeth and using tooth-colored material for fillings …— Sarah Skidmore, The San Diego Union-Tribune