Antonyms for aesthetic


Grammar : Adj
Spell : es-thet-ik or, esp. British, ees-
Phonetic Transcription : ɛsˈθɛt ɪk or, esp. British, is-


Definition of aesthetic

Origin :
  • 1798, from German Ästhetisch or French esthétique, both from Greek aisthetikos "sensitive, perceptive," from aisthanesthai "to perceive (by the senses or by the mind), to feel," from PIE *awis-dh-yo-, from root *au- "to perceive" (see audience).
  • Popularized in English by translation of Immanuel Kant, and used originally in the classically correct sense "the science which treats of the conditions of sensuous perception." Kant had tried to correct the term after Alexander Baumgarten had taken it in German to mean "criticism of taste" (1750s), but Baumgarten's sense attained popularity in English c.1830s (despite scholarly resistance) and removed the word from any philosophical base. Walter Pater used it (1868) to describe the late 19c. movement that advocated "art for art's sake," which further blurred the sense. As an adjective by 1803. Related: Aesthetically.
  • adj beautiful
Example sentences :
  • But in Bewick's case the aesthetic level is not particularly high.
  • Extract from : « Why Bewick Succeeded » by Jacob Kainen
  • From an aesthetic point of view these are superior to anything else he wrote.
  • Extract from : « John Lyly » by John Dover Wilson
  • War has often been praised because of its aesthetic nature, and its dramatic features.
  • Extract from : « The Psychology of Nations » by G.E. Partridge
  • So the aesthetic is the type of adaptation in the inner life.
  • Extract from : « The Psychology of Nations » by G.E. Partridge
  • The aesthetic experience is a practical attitude in another way.
  • Extract from : « The Psychology of Nations » by G.E. Partridge
  • This phase of the place of the aesthetic is seen and expressed in various ways.
  • Extract from : « The Psychology of Nations » by G.E. Partridge
  • No aesthetic archaeologist has as yet written a book about their architecture.
  • Extract from : « General John Regan » by George A. Birmingham
  • The aim of education was the beautiful, and the ideal was the aesthetic in mind and body.
  • Extract from : « History of Education » by Levi Seeley
  • It was obvious that the girl's aesthetic sense was deeply touched.
  • Extract from : « Fraternity » by John Galsworthy
  • It is to no mere "ivory tower" of aesthetic superiority that we retreat.
  • Extract from : « Suspended Judgments » by John Cowper Powys

Synonyms for aesthetic

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019