aestheticism

noun

aes·​thet·​i·​cism es-ˈthe-tə-ˌsi-zəm How to pronounce aestheticism (audio)
is-
variants or less commonly estheticism
1
: a doctrine that the principles of beauty are basic to other and especially moral principles
2
: devotion to or emphasis on beauty or the cultivation of the arts

Examples of aestheticism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Though the novel is European rather than American in setting, what is remarkable and universal is the connection drawn between the aestheticism of Hyacinth’s nature and the magnetism that anarchism holds for him. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025 Still, the similarities are felt, stylistically and technically, in the collage-like form and the free manipulation of archival images—and, above all, in a shared sense of audacious yet exquisite aestheticism yoked to a strain of refined, resolute insolence. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024 The standoff between Blanche’s impractical aestheticism and Stanley’s ruthless pragmatism is the heart of this quintessentially American drama. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024 But he’s done plenty of homes, including some in London, and what’s evident here, even with my all-too-brief stay, is that every design consideration is about the equation of aestheticism with intimacy and experience. Mark Holgate, Vogue, 26 Jan. 2024 See All Example Sentences for aestheticism

Word History

Etymology

aesthetic entry 1 + -ism

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of aestheticism was in 1843

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Cite this Entry

“Aestheticism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aestheticism. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.

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