impressionistic

adjective

im·​pres·​sion·​is·​tic (ˌ)im-ˌpre-shə-ˈni-stik How to pronounce impressionistic (audio)
1
or impressionist often capitalized : of, relating to, or constituting impressionism
2
: based on or involving impression as distinct from expertise or fact
intuitions and impressionistic anecdotal accountsSidney Hook
impressionistically adverb

Examples of impressionistic in a Sentence

He wrote an impressionistic account of the battle scene.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
From the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, professional photographer Steven Sebring followed the poet-singer-punk progenitor across time and space, then rearranged the pieces into an impressionistic collage. Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024 What the night sky was to van Gogh, vowel sounds are to Catherine Cohen: a landscape for expansive, impressionistic, kaleidoscopic exploration. Vulture Staff, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024 People were tired and really didn’t know what to make of a movie that shifts between the points of view of the two main characters and has a subjective, impressionistic mode of storytelling. Glenn Whipp, Twin Cities, 24 Nov. 2024 Where Trust & Safety Tycoon is a pretty rigorous (if tongue-in-cheek) attempt to convey how hard running a social network is, One Billion Users is far more impressionistic. Adi Robertson, The Verge, 18 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for impressionistic 

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of impressionistic was in 1886

Dictionary Entries Near impressionistic

Cite this Entry

“Impressionistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impressionistic. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

impressionistic

adjective
im·​pres·​sion·​is·​tic (ˌ)im-ˌpresh-ə-ˈnis-tik How to pronounce impressionistic (audio)
1
or impressionist often capitalized : of or relating to impressionism
an impressionistic style of painting
2
: based on or involving one's impressions rather than knowledge or facts
impressionistic descriptions
impressionistically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on impressionistic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!