Artsie

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. An informal term for someone who is passionate about painting, music, theatre, literature or other creative pursuits
2. A casual label for a person whose interests and lifestyle center on creative and cultural activities
3. Slang for an individual who is enthusiastic about the fine arts and often takes part in them

Etymology: "Artsie" is formed from "arts" with the diminutive or informal suffix "-ie", the same ending found in words like "foodie" and "movie." The base "arts" refers to the creative and humanities fields, and adding "-ie" turns it into a casual label for someone who is enthusiastically devoted to them. The suffix does most of the work here. Attaching "-ie" to a noun for a field or pursuit produces a friendly, slightly playful tag for a devotee, so the word carries an affectionate tone rather than a formal one. It belongs to the same family of coinages as "techie" and "foodie," which follow the identical pattern.

Synonyms: arty, artsy, bohemian

Antonyms: philistine