aestheticism

aes·thet·i·cism | \ es-ˈthe-tə-ˌsi-zəm

How to pronounce aestheticism (audio)

, is- \

variants: or less commonly estheticism

Definition of aestheticism

1 : a doctrine that the principles of beauty are basic to other and especially moral principles

2 : devotion to or emphasis on beauty or the cultivation of the arts

Examples of aestheticism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web After that goal at Southend, Barry-Murphy and Rochdale were hailed as outliers: ambassadors for aestheticism amid the barbarism of League One. — Rory Smith, New York Times, "The Pep Effect," 8 Nov. 2019 Pater may have been a creature of 19th century spiritualism and aestheticism, his sensibility as alien to the Renaissance as to our own era of metrics and algorithms. — Washington Post, "Quiet, please. At the Louvre’s ‘Léonard de Vinci’ exhibition, you’re in the presence of genius.," 29 Oct. 2019 Translating this book is not really about finding le mot juste because Döblin, who despised Thomas Mann’s fussy aestheticism, often seems little interested in the exercise himself. — Amanda Demarco, WSJ, "‘Berlin Alexanderplatz’ Review: A Low-Life for the Ages," 23 Mar. 2018 The intrinsic aestheticism of this ancient art has revitalized interest in tarot, making it a social media favorite — there's now even such a thing as emoji tarot. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "A Beginner's Guide to Reading Tarot Cards and Understanding Their Meanings," 26 Feb. 2018 Libra is ruled by Venus, the planet of aestheticism, and Libras tend to treat their partners like works of art, adoring both their bodies and minds. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "This Is What You're Like in Bed, According to Your Zodiac Sign," 13 Oct. 2017 Perhaps Abloh is striving for a Flaubertian aestheticism. — Cody Delistraty, Esquire, "Virgil Abloh Is Searching for Virgil Abloh," 30 Jan. 2017 French and Japanese culture have that sort of aestheticism of perfection. — Kathleen Hou, The Cut, "Natalie Portman on Hollywood Beauty Standards and the Quest for Perfection," 28 Aug. 2017 Frivolity, aestheticism, hedonism, cynicism, pessimism, narcissism, consumerism, materialism, nihilism, fatalism and fanaticism . . — Henry Porter, The Hive, "Donald Trump, Theresa May, and the End of Government as We Know It," 14 Aug. 2017

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

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Dictionary Entries near aestheticism

aesthetic distance

aesthetic movement

aesthetic truth

Statistics for aestheticism

Last Updated

15 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Aestheticism.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aestheticism. Accessed 7 December 2019.

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