artist

noun

art·​ist ˈär-tist 

plural artists

1

a

: a person who creates art (such as painting, sculpture, music, or writing) using conscious skill and creative imagination

the great artists of the Renaissance

an artist specializing in watercolors

b

: a person skilled in any of the arts

I can't draw at all, but both of my children are very talented artists.

2

: a skilled performer

a trapeze artist

especially : a musical or theatrical entertainer : artiste

a jazz artist

3

: a person who is very good at something

a scam artist

a strikeout artist

4

a

obsolete : one skilled or versed in learned arts

b

archaic : physician

c

archaic : artisan sense 1

Synonyms

• expert
• scholar
• master
• virtuoso
• adept
• wizard
• guru

Examples of artist in a Sentence

the great artists of the Renaissance

a pitcher who is a strikeout artist

Recent Examples on the Web

The Chinese artist will bring his expertise as a glonal artist to guide the contestants through this crucial semi-final stage. —Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Kirsten Obstacles and my first realisations about society's stereotypical attitudes toward motherhood, being a mother, and being an artist and mother quickly led me to take action. —Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025

The success of three female artists could be an outlier, driven by the influence of social media and streaming portals. —Marcus K. Dowling, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025

The film portrays a married couple balancing their dreams of becoming full-time artists with a desire to have children, only to get a surreal opportunity to do both by winning a supermarket game show. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French artiste "person practicing a craft, student of the liberal arts," borrowed from Medieval Latin artista "artificer, student of the liberal arts," from Latin art-, ars "acquired skill, art entry 1" + -ista -ist entry 1

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 4c

Phrases Containing artist

• con artist
• escape artist
• flimflam artist/man
• paleo-artist
• recording artist

Rhymes for artist

• chartist
• smartest
• bonapartist

Kids Definition

artist

noun

art·​ist ˈärt-əst 

1

: a person skilled in one of the arts (as painting, sculpture, music, or writing)

2

: a person showing unusual ability in an occupation requiring skill