Artistically

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ɑː(ɹ)ˈtɪstɪkli/

Definitions

1. In a way that reflects creative expression and technical proficiency in the arts
2. Executed with an emphasis on imaginative style and artistic merit, highlighting unique talent
3. Done in a way that shows skill and sensitivity in the creation of art

Etymology: "Artistically" is a plain suffixed formation: the adjective "artistic" with the adverbial ending "-ally" added to it. The adjective itself came into English from French "artistique," which was built on "artiste," and that French word was borrowed from Italian and ultimately rests on the Latin "ars," meaning skill or craft. The Latin root is the same one behind "art," so the word's core meaning is skilled making rather than painting or sculpture specifically. The "-ally" ending has an older history than the word it sits on. It descends from Old English "-līce," which was the common way of turning an adjective into an adverb, as in "deorlīce" (dearly). Over the centuries that ending shortened to "-ly" and, after an adjective ending in "-ic," the form "-ically" became the regular pattern, so "artistically" follows the same route as "basically" or "historically."

Synonyms: creatively, aesthetically, imaginatively

Antonyms: uncreatively, blandly