brushstroke

noun

brush·​stroke ˈbrəsh-ˌstrōk 

: the configuration given to paint by contact with the bristles of a brush

also : the paint left on a surface by a single application of a brush or palette knife

—often used figuratively to describe the quality especially of a narrative or description

a story told in broad brushstrokes

Examples of brushstroke in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their easy, hedonic seductiveness emerges, too, via Yuskavage’s lush, rounded, fleshy brushstrokes (a different sort of stroke material, for the patriarchy or for anyone else), which render everything from boobs to bellies to nipples smooth and swollen, like a succulent fruit fixing to burst. —Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 23 May 2026

Vatkin is represented by works in his signature style, where thick, layered brushstrokes, fragmented forms and a vivid use of color create a sense of motion and instability. —ABC News, 11 May 2026

Veteran designer Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo), a former Project Runway finalist, continued with her signature soft, brushstroke-like prints. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 11 May 2026

Every surface is covered in his signature whimsical brushstrokes. —Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 21 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for brushstroke

• awoke
• baroque
• bespoke
• colloque
• convoke
• evoke
• invoke
• keystroke
• kinfolk
• kinsfolk
• menfolk
• provoke