art meaning

art as a noun

1. the products of human creativity; works of art collectively
   • an art exhibition
   • a collection of fine art

   Synonyms: fine art

   Type of: creation

   Kinds: artificial flower, commercial art, cyberart, decoupage, diptych, gem, genre, graphic art, grotesque, kitsch, mosaic, plastic art

   Related forms: arty, artistic, artist

2. the creation of beautiful or significant things
   • art does not need to be innovative to be good
   • I was never any good at art
   • he said that architecture is the art of wasting space beautifully

   Synonyms: artistic creation, artistic production

   Type of: creation

   Kinds: arts and crafts, ceramics, decalcomania, decoupage, drawing, glyptography, gastronomy, origami, painting, perfumery, printmaking, sculpture

   Related forms: artist

3. a superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation
   • the art of conversation
   • it's quite an art

   Synonyms: artistry, prowess

   Type of: superior skill

   Kinds: aviation, eristic, falconry, fortification, homiletics, horology, minstrelsy, musicianship, enology, puppetry, taxidermy, telescopy

   Related forms: artist

4. photographs or other visual representations in a printed publication
   • the publisher was responsible for all the artwork in the book

   Synonyms: artwork, graphics, nontextual matter

   Type of: visual communication

   Kinds: illustration, drawing

   Related forms: artist

How to pronounce art

art is pronounced /ɑːt/ in British English and /ɑrt/ in American English. It has 1 syllable.