# sculpture

/ˈskəɫptʃɝ/ (US) · /skˈʌlptʃɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/sculpture
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. a work of art

noun · CEFR B1

a three-dimensional work of art made by carving stone, casting metal, or shaping clay.

For teachers: a three-dimensional work of art created by shaping or combining materials such as stone, metal, glass, or wood.

- The museum has a famous bronze sculpture of a horse in the garden.
- The contemporary sculpture was assembled from recycled industrial parts, challenging traditional notions of aesthetic value and material permanence.

### 2. the art form

noun · CEFR B2

the art or practice of making three-dimensional objects.

For teachers: the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions; the collective body of such works.

- She decided to study sculpture because she enjoyed working with her hands.
- Renaissance sculpture reached its peak with artists who mastered the anatomical precision of the human form in marble.

### 3. surface patterns

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

the natural patterns or raised shapes on the surface of a shell or an animal's body.

For teachers: the three-dimensional ornamentation or raised markings on the outer surface of a biological structure, such as a shell.

- The scientist examined the delicate sculpture on the surface of the sea shell.
- The taxonomic classification of these mollusks relies heavily on the intricate sculpture of the shell's exterior ridges.

### 4. to create a shape

verb · CEFR B2

to make a figure or a shape out of a solid material.

For teachers: to fashion, carve, or mould a material into a three-dimensional figure or design.

- He used a small knife to sculpture a tiny bird out of a piece of wood.
- The artist spent months attempting to sculpture the perfect likeness of the statesman from a single block of granite.

### 5. natural erosion

verb · CEFR C1 · Academic

when wind or water changes the shape of the land over a long time.

For teachers: to change the physical features of a landscape through natural processes like erosion.

- Over millions of years, the river helped to sculpture the deep canyon.
- Glacial movements continued to sculpture the valley floor, leaving behind a distinctive U-shaped profile and scattered debris.

## Examples

- The artist created a large sculpture of a horse.
- The museum recently installed a modern sculpture made of recycled steel in the central courtyard.
- While classical sculpture often focuses on the realistic representation of the human form, contemporary pieces may explore abstract concepts through negative space and industrial materials.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.