art

noun \ ˈärt \

Definition of art

1 :skill acquired by experience, study, or observation

the art of making friends

2 a :a branch of learning:

(1) :one of the humanities

(2) arts plural :liberal arts

b archaic :learning, scholarship

3 :an occupation requiring knowledge or skill

the art of organ building

4 a :the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects

the art of painting landscapes

; also :works so produced

a gallery for modern art

b (1) :fine arts

(2) :one of the fine arts

(3) :one of the graphic arts

5 a archaic :a skillful plan

b :the quality or state of being artful (see artful 2a)

6 :decorative or illustrative elements in printed matter

See art defined for English-language learners

Examples of art in a Sentence

a piece of modern art
It's a remarkable picture, but is it art?
The museum has a large collection of folk art.
He studied art in college.

Recent Examples of art from the Web

Martial arts is about courage, integrity, honor and respect.

— yoolim lee, Bloomberg.com, "Ultimate Fighting Championship Has an Asian Rival," 30 Aug. 2017
Here's what happened Got an art project for Louisville?

— jeffrey lee puckett, The Courier-Journal, "Did the next 'American Idol' audition in Louisville today? Who knows.," 30 Aug. 2017
Lunder Conservation Center tour Learn how Smithsonian American Art Museum conservators use science, art history and skilled hands to preserve objects from the collections in the Lunder Conservation Center.

— Washington Post, "D.C. community calendar, Aug. 31-Sept. 6, 2017," 30 Aug. 2017
This isn’t about dead composers and great art and all that other stuff that everybody else tries to sell.

— chris varias, Cincinnati.com, "Relive 'WKRP in Cincinnati' soundtrack for free," 30 Aug. 2017
In an essay rich with lyricism and brutal honesty, Kiese Laymon tells the story of his early years teaching at an elite liberal arts college in New York.

— danielle jackson, Longreads, "Confronting Wealth and Class Privilege as a Black Professor at a White College," 30 Aug. 2017
Not that anyone has yet matched the combination of high-register velocity, lightness of tone, harmonic ingenuity and melodic grace of Gillespie’s art.

— howard reich, chicagotribune.com, "Jon Faddis returns for Dizzy Gillespie tribute at Chicago Jazz Festival," 29 Aug. 2017
Vazquez learned about pigeons in his native Cuba, and joined a racing club in Miami after establishing a career framing art at a Little Havana gallery.

— david ovalle, miamiherald, "Racing pigeons and murder: A Miami trial casts spotlight on niche sport," 29 Aug. 2017
Previously, he's worked with science and art teachers to help a group of middle school girls reconstruct a life-sized jaw from the prehistoric shark megaladon, based on CT scans of its teeth.

— ryan cross, Science | AAAS, "New 3D scanning campaign will reveal 20,000 animals in stunning detail," 24 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of art

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin art-, ars — more at arm

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

art Synonyms

Synonyms

craft, handcraft, handicraft, trade

Antonyms

artlessness, ineptitude, ineptness, maladroitness

Related Words

skill; calling, métier (also metier), occupation, profession, vocation

Near Antonyms

amateurishness, awkwardness, clumsiness, crudeness, klutziness, rudeness; inability, inadequacy, inadequateness, incapability, incapacity, incompetence, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficacy, inefficiency

Synonym Discussion of art

art, skill, cunning, artifice, craft mean the faculty of executing well what one has devised. art implies a personal, unanalyzable creative power.

- the art of choosing the right word

skill stresses technical knowledge and proficiency.

- the skill of a glassblower

cunning suggests ingenuity and subtlety in devising, inventing, or executing.

- a mystery plotted with great cunning

artifice suggests technical skill especially in imitating things in nature.

- believed realism in film could be achieved only by artifice

craft may imply expertness in workmanship.

- the craft of a master goldsmith

art

adjective

Definition of art

:produced as an artistic effort or for decorative purposes

an art film

art dolls

art music

Origin and Etymology of art

see ¹art

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1853

See Words from the same year

Other Handicraft Terms

biscuit, darn, tambour, wrought

art

\ ˈärt , ərt \

Definition of art

archaic present tense second-person singular of be

Origin and Etymology of art

Middle English, from Old English eart; akin to Old Norse est, ert (thou) art, Old English is is

Other Fine Arts Terms

Gothic, baroque, bas-relief, limn, oeuvre, pastiche, rococo, sfumato

art

abbreviation

Definition of art

1 article

2 artificial

3 artillery

-art

Definition of -art

— see -ard

ART Defined for English Language Learners

art

noun

Definition of art for English Language Learners

: something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings
: works created by artists : paintings, sculptures, etc., that are created to be beautiful or to express important ideas or feelings
: the methods and skills used for painting, sculpting, drawing, etc.

ART Defined for Kids

art

noun \ ˈärt \

Definition of art for Students

1 :works (as pictures, poems, or songs) made through use of the imagination and creative skills by artists

the art of the Renaissance

2 :the methods and skills used for creative visual works (as painting, sculpting, and drawing)

a teacher of art

3 :an activity (as painting, music, or writing) whose purpose is making things that are beautiful to look at, listen to, or read

the performing arts

4 :skill that comes through experience or study

the art of making friends

5 :an activity that requires skill

Cooking is an art.

Medical Dictionary

ART

abbreviation

medical Definition of ART

1 accredited record technician

The education and training necessary to become an ART (accredited record technician) is available through a two-year associate degree program for medical records technicians at a junior or community college.
—The Chicago Tribune, 7 Dec. 1992

2 assisted reproductive technology

A quarter century after the first “test tube” baby, the use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has risen astronomically.
—Anna Mulrine, U.S. News & World Report, 27 Sept. 2004

Nationally, about 107,000 ART procedures—which include IVF and related procedures that consist of the egg and sperm being handled outside the body—are performed.
—Helena Oliviero, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 21 Mar. 2004