Artsy

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɑɹtsi/

Definitions

1. Displaying characteristics or qualities typical of artists or art in a creative or stylish way ; appearing or acting in a way that tries to seem artistic but may seem insincere or artificial
2. Having or relating to the nature of art or creative expression ; behaving in a manner that seems designed to impress others with an exaggerated artistic flair
3. Exhibiting traits that are imaginative, creative, or visually distinctive ; seeming deliberately hip or cultured in a way that may appear somewhat forced

Etymology: "Artsy" is simply "arts" with the adjective-forming suffix "-y" added, so its story is really the story of "art" and its plural. "Art" came into English via Old French from Latin "ars" (genitive "artis"), meaning skill or craft, and it originally covered any trained skill, not just painting or sculpture. The plural "arts" then came to name the set of creative disciplines, and "-y" turned that noun into a description of someone or something that looks or behaves like an artist. The suffix "-y" has been used this way for centuries, as in "bloody" or "hungry," and it is the same ending that gives us "brainy" and "trendy." Its extension to "arts" is a fairly recent and informal coinage, so the word carries an offhand, colloquial flavour, which is part of why it can sound either admiring or faintly mocking when applied to someone trying a bit too hard to seem cultured.

Synonyms: artistic, creative, cultured

Antonyms: unartistic, uncultured