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REFERENCE

aesthetic

adj. · n.
US //ɛsˈθɛtɪk// UK //iːsθˈɛtɪk// aes·thet·ic
  1. 1 related to beauty (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    connected to beauty or the way something looks.

    relating to the appreciation of beauty or good taste.

    Example

    The building was designed for aesthetic reasons rather than just to be useful.

    Example

    The committee rejected the proposal on purely aesthetic grounds, arguing that the modern glass tower would clash with the historic stone cathedral.
  2. 2 a specific style (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a particular style or 'vibe' that makes someone or something look a certain way.

    a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement.

    Example

    The café has a very clean, modern aesthetic with lots of plants.

    Example

    Her photography captures a nostalgic aesthetic, using soft lighting and grainy textures to evoke a sense of the 1970s.
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  1. 3 study of beauty (n.)
    C1 Advanced Academic

    the study of what makes things beautiful, especially in art.

    the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature and expression of beauty.

    Example

    In college, she took a class on the aesthetic of ancient Greek sculpture.

    Example

    The professor's lecture focused on the evolution of the aesthetic in European portraiture during the Renaissance.
    • philosophy of art
Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewis-dʰh₁ Proto-Hellenic *awistʰomai Ancient Greek αἰσθᾰ́νομαι (aisthắnomai) Proto-Indo-European *-tis Ancient Greek -τις (-tis) Ancient Greek -σῐς (-sĭs) Ancient Greek αἴσθησῐς (aísthēsĭs) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) Ancient Greek -ῐκός (-ĭkós) Ancient Greek αἰσθητῐκός (aisthētĭkós)bor. Latin aesthēticusder. German Ästhetikder. ▲ New Latin aesthēticusbor. French esthétiqueder. English aesthetic From German Ästhetik or French esthétique, both from New Latin aesthēticus, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek αἰσθητικός (aisthētikós, “of sense perception”), from αἰσθάνομαι (aisthánomai, “I feel”); analysable as aesthe(sis) + -tic. Cognates include Proto-Germanic *awiz (“obvious”), Sanskrit आविस् (āvís, “manifestly, evidently”) and Latin audiō.

Word family

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