Definition of AESTHETICS (original) (raw)
1
a
: of, relating to, or dealing with aesthetics or the beautiful
c
: pleasing in appearance : attractive
… easy-to-use keyboards, clear graphics, and other ergonomic and aesthetic features …—
Mark Mehler
2
: appreciative of, responsive to, or zealous about the beautiful
also : responsive to or appreciative of what is pleasurable to the senses
his aesthetic sensibility
3
: done or made to improve a person's appearance or to correct defects in a person's appearance
aesthetic plastic surgery
aesthetically adverb
or less commonly esthetically
1
aesthetics also esthetics es-ˈthe-tiks 
is-,
British usually ēs-
plural in form but singular or plural in construction : a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste and with the creation and appreciation of beauty
2
: a particular theory or conception of beauty or art : a particular taste for or approach to what is pleasing to the senses and especially sight
staging new ballets which reflected the aesthetic of the new nation—Mary Clarke & Clement Crisp
3
aesthetics also esthetics plural : a pleasing appearance or effect : beauty
appreciated the aesthetics of the gemstones
Did you know?
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
Examples of aesthetic in a Sentence
Adjective
My generation has an annoying penchant for treating luxuries as necessities and turning guilty pleasures into aesthetic and even moral touchstones. —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
Recent Examples on the Web
Here are five key highlights to entice your next visit: New Rooms Offer Elevated Comfort and Style — and Butlers The recent room makeover at Nemacolin introduces a chic modern aesthetic while preserving the resort’s classic charm. —Mclean Robbins, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024 Starr's Homelander debuted on The Boys when the series launched on Prime Video in 2019, and Boon's team knew that aesthetic would mesh well with Mortal Kombat. —Nick Romano, EW.com, 23 Sep. 2024
Earlier this year, the brand landed in Japan, where its delicate aesthetic has found resonance, at two retailers, including the Art and Science department store in Tokyo. —Lily Templeton, WWD, 26 Sep. 2024 These are not just spread out for aesthetics, but rather to up the jacket’s durability along parts that might rub against itself, your bag, or the side of a mountain. —Daniel Varghese, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for aesthetic 
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
Etymology
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
First Known Use
Adjective
1812, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
1822, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of aesthetic was in 1812
Dictionary Entries Near aesthetic
Cite this Entry
“Aesthetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aesthetic. Accessed 29 Sep. 2024.
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Last Updated: 28 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences
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