painterly

adjective

paint·​er·​ly ˈpān-tər-lē 

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

While checkerboard kitchen backsplashes have reigned supreme in recent years, now they’re being replaced by an altogether more painterly tile style. —Hannah Coates, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2025

The action is transposed to an oceanside much like Valencia’s; the set designer Patricia Albizu supplies painterly backdrops of sand, sea, and sky. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

While her silhouettes are global, her clothing is rooted in the rich heritage of the textiles and her painterly use of color and sculptural silhouettes. —Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 2025

Silksong, for example, looks exceptional, with its colorful, painterly backdrops popping well against the screen, and Forza Horizon 5’s recreation of Mexico is breathtaking on the small screen. —PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1