Mark Mehler
Mary Clarke & Clement Crisp
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The Singular (Or Plural) Art of Aesthetics
The noun aesthetic is often found used in its plural form. In the plural form, aesthetics can refer to the theory of art and beauty—and in particular the question of what makes something beautiful or interesting to regard:
Although he could extemporize animatedly about the history of the valve seat grinder, or the art of ropemaking, or how long it took to manually drill blast holes into a deposit of coal, aesthetics were another matter. The unlikely beauty of his rusty treasures defied elaboration.
Donovan Hohn, Harper’s, January 2005
This sense is sometimes encountered in constructions that treat it as singular:
With the removal of the studio packages, those cinema owners still providing double features began exploring less arbitrary and more justified pairings of films. The double feature became a special element of movie houses concentrating on the presentation of classic and art films. And this is where an aesthetics of the double feature emerges.
Chadwick Jenkins, PopMatters, 16 Aug. 2016So Sontag was wrong to describe camp as an "unserious, 'aesthete's' vision." Aesthetics is always serious when agreed-upon interpretations are changed or stolen or emptied out.
Dave Hickey, Harper's, December 2009
A word that follows a similar pattern is poetics, (which also happens to be the title of a work by Aristotle focusing on literary theory and discourse):
A poetics of film, he has argued, seeks to reveal the conventions that films use to achieve their effects-and cognitive explanations provide insight into how and why filmic conventions, like shot-reverse-shot or empathy close-ups, produce the effects they do.
Alissa Quart, Lingua Franca, March 2000
As a plural noun, aesthetics can also be used as a synonym for beauty:
For reasons of economy and aesthetics, though, most of the house was stick built and is perfectly cozy without any elaborate beam work.
Andrew Vietze, Down East, May 2003
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Terrence Rafferty, GQ, October 1997
Whereas the essence of Proust's aesthetic position was contained in the deceptively simple yet momentous assertion that "a picture's beauty does not depend on the things portrayed in it."
—Alain de Botton, How Proust Can Change Your Life, 1997
I suppose that jazz listening and prizefight watching are my two most passionate avocations, and this is largely so because the origins of my aesthetic urges are in the black working class.
—Gerald Early, "The Passing of Jazz's Old Guard: … ,"
in The Best American Essays 1986, Elizabeth Hardwick & Robert Atwan, editors, 1986
There are practical as well as aesthetic reasons for planting trees.
making aesthetic improvements to the building
Noun
Aesthetics is an important part of Greek philosophy.
the aesthetics of the gemstones
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L. Daniela Alvarez, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 May 2023
Addressing questions of genre, style, narration and performance, Knowles, Noland, and Bloom highlight the political and aesthetic complexity of the cinematic representation of animals.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2023
And the making becomes its own kind of meaning, emerging from materials, tools, labor and aesthetic decisions, both intended and accidental.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 25 May 2023
This individualized approach has yielded uniforms tailored to each eatery’s environment and aesthetic.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 24 May 2023
All of that is a complement to LeCompte’s vision for the Duality space and aesthetic, bringing her branding and photography experience into play.
—oregonlive, 12 May 2023
Work included installing six turf infields, proper infrastructure and aesthetic enhancements throughout the 95-acre complex.
—Staff Report, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 2023
To add an aesthetic touch, the dipping cups sport a retro look of blue and silver from the original Big Mac sandwich wraps, the company says on its website.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2023
The entire apartment, a converted loft in an unprepossessing building on lower Broadway, is a testament to Hoffman’s deft hand with color, command of classical forms, and confidence in her aesthetic vision—attributes not often seen in a designer so young.
—Catherine Hong, ELLE Decor, 20 Apr. 2023
H Conley, STAT, 2 June 2023
The group was accused by viewers of cultural appropriation and using Japanese pop stars’ aesthetics without appreciating the art form’s history.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 1 June 2023
The stone concrete, meanwhile, drives home the abode’s modern and minimalist aesthetics.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 31 May 2023
Read the full Cancer Daily Horoscope Leo (July 23 - August 22) Look at aesthetics in a new light when the moon triggers Venus.
—USA TODAY, 31 May 2023
Those cave and jungle scenes were filmed at Welchman Hall Gully in Barbados (not Venezuela, as the show suggests), and while much of the aesthetic from the show was computer-generated, the real caves and natural surroundings are still beautiful as ever.
—Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2023
Plus, the fluffy waffle stitchwork is subtle and adds a lovely aesthetic to the plush material.
—L.a. Hubilla, Peoplemag, 30 May 2023
The aesthetic is Texan country club; the Ewing homestead, the size of a decent suburban McMansion, is a toolshed next to the Manhattan aeries, Hamptons manors and Italian villas that the Roys flitter among.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 26 May 2023
However, trivalent chromium has not been widely used in the decorative plating industry because its darker color is similar to stainless steel, an aesthetic that has not appealed to California car enthusiasts striving to mimic the high-gloss sheen of 20th century models.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aesthetic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Adjective
borrowed from German ästhetisch "pertaining to taste or discernment," borrowed from New Latin aestheticus, borrowed from Greek aisthētikós "of sense perception, sensitive, perceptive," from aisthētós "sensible, perceptible" (verbal adjective of aisthánomai, aisthánesthai "to perceive, take notice of, understand," going back to *awis-th-, from *awis-, base of Greek aḯein "to perceive, hear" + -th-, resultative noun suffix) + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at audible entry 1
Note: German aesthetisch/ästhetisch (New Latin aestheticus) was initially promulgated as a philosophical term in the work of Alexander Baumgarten (1714-62) and subsequently by Immanuel Kant.
Noun
borrowed from German Ästhetik, borrowed from New Latin aesthetica, from feminine of aestheticus aesthetic entry 1 — more at -ics
Phrases Containing aesthetic
Dictionary Entries Near aesthetic
Cite this Entry
“Aesthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aesthetic. Accessed 8 Jun. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
aesthetic
adjective
Medical Definition
aesthetic
adjective
Sarah Skidmore, The San Diego Union-Tribune
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