Aestheticize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To enhance the visual or artistic appeal of an object, concept, or idea while focusing on its beauty through creative interpretation
2. To transform or refine an item, thought, or theory by accentuating its pleasing attributes via artistic expression
3. To elevate the appealing qualities of an object, idea, or philosophy through a creative lens that emphasizes its beauty and artistic merit

Etymology: The verb "aestheticize" is a plain English construction: "aesthetic" with the suffix "-ize", which turns an adjective into a verb meaning to make it so or to treat in that way. The adjective itself traces back to ancient Greek "aisthētikos", from "aisthanesthai", meaning to perceive by the senses. In Greek the root carried no notion of beauty at all, only sensation and perception. The sense of beauty came later. Latin borrowed the Greek adjective as "aesthēticus", and German scholars in the eighteenth century revived it for the study of art and taste, which French and then English adopted. So the word began as a term about feeling and perception, and only afterward became the name for judging beauty. The "-ize" ending has its own route, passing from Greek through Late Latin and Middle French before reaching English. Putting the two together produced a verb for treating something as art or giving it a polished, beautiful surface, often with a hint that substance has been sacrificed for style.

Synonyms: beautify, elevate, enhance

Antonyms: disfigure, diminish