Aesthetic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɛsˈθɛ.tɪk/

Definitions

1. Relating to beauty, art, or the appreciation of visual or sensory experiences
2. Concerned with or appreciating beauty, artistic expression, and the sensory qualities that evoke emotional or intellectual responses
3. Focused on the principles of beauty and design in art, nature, and visual presentation that create meaningful sensory impressions

Etymology: The surprise here is that "aesthetic" was once a word about the senses, not about beauty at all. The Ancient Greek "aisthētikos" meant "of sense perception," built from "aisthanesthai," "to feel" or "to perceive." Greek writers used it for things that register through the senses, so the word's core idea was perception rather than taste or prettiness. The modern sense came much later, through German and French. In the eighteenth century, German philosophers adopted the term, producing "Ästhetik" for the study of how we experience beauty and art, and French writers borrowed it as "esthétique." The English word followed these routes, so its association with beauty comes from the study of art and perception rather than from the Greek original.

Synonyms: artistic, creative, visual, beautiful, tasteful

Antonyms: unaesthetic, unattractive, ugly, plain, drab