painterly

adjective

paint·​er·​ly ˈpān-tər-lē How to pronounce painterly (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or typical of a painter : artistic
painterly attention to detail
2
: suggestive or characteristic of a painting or of the art of painting
painterly photography
especially : marked by an openness of form which is not linear and in which sharp outlines are lacking
painterly brushwork
painterliness noun

Examples of painterly in a Sentence

He has a painterly eye. a painterly picture of the sea
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Finally, in overcoming this vexing moment, the two would establish a painterly repartee that altered the trajectory of their own work and, by extension, modern art. Susan Tallman, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026 There’s a painterly look to the image, rather than the typical slop-style sickly sheen, but the AI origins are still unmistakable. Cath Virginia, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2026 Huge windows frame painterly views of the mountain landscape. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2026 Three-dimensional calla lilies add a painterly touch to dark purple French tips. Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 10 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for painterly

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of painterly was circa 1586

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Cite this Entry

“Painterly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/painterly. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.

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