impressionistic

adjective im·pres·sion·is·tic \ (ˌ)im-ˌpre-shə-ˈni-stik \

|Updated on: 17 Aug 2018

Examples: impressionistic in a Sentence

Definition of impressionistic

1 or impressionist play \im-ˈpre-sh(ə-)nist\ often capitalized : of, relating to, or constituting impressionism

2 : based on or involving impression as distinct from expertise or fact

intuitions and impressionistic anecdotal accounts
—Sidney Hook

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impressionistically

play \(ˌ)im-ˌpre-shə-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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Examples of impressionistic in a Sentence

He wrote an impressionistic account of the battle scene.

Recent Examples of impressionistic from the Web

North Carolina’s lovingly shot Pleasure Island and adjacent Cape Fear River provide the stirring, Southern Gothic setting for this impressionistic film that unfolds around the 18th birthday of its rudderless main character, Moss (Mitchell Slaggert).

— gary goldstein, latimes.com, "Review: Southern drama 'Moss' underwhelms, but it has great views," 5 July 2018
The style, of necessity, is realistic, impressionistic and surrealistic, with flashbacks, confusion of time sequences and of personality.

— james powers, The Hollywood Reporter, "'8 ½': THR's 1963 Review," 26 June 2018
And Bruce [Miller] really embraced that idea, that for Samira to be sort of impressionistic.

— rena gross, Billboard, "'The Handmaid's Tale' Director Kari Skogland on Identity, Easter Eggs & More," 5 June 2018
If the permitting goes as planned, Duster said, the impressionistic bronze-and-granite monument will be erected next year in the median strip on South Langley Avenue at 37th Street.

— peter slevin, chicagotribune.com, "'You can’t just gloss over this history': The movement to honor Ida B. Wells gains momentum," 18 June 2018
The memorial committee has already chosen a sculptor for the impressionistic bronze-and-granite monument that will bear Wells’ likeness.

— anne branigin, The Root, "Flipping the Narrative: Movement to Publicly Honor Black Journalists and Newspapers Grows," 18 June 2018
Trailblazing author and journalist Tom Wolfe, known for his impressionistic prose and dapper three-piece white suits, has died at age 88*.

— anna silman, The Cut, "Tom Wolfe Has Died at 88," 15 May 2018
Ethiopia during the reign of Haile Selassie bursts to life in this impressionistic family history.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "Briefly Noted," 17 Apr. 2018
In this new video from Numberphile, mathematician Alex Bellos explains a drawing by fellow mathematician Edmund Harris that gives the Collatz Conjecture a more impressionistic nature.

— sophie weiner, Popular Mechanics, "This Sea Monster Drawing Beautifully Depicts The Collatz Conjecture," 28 Mar. 2017

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