aesthetic

[es-thet-ik or, esp. British, ees-] /ɛsˈθɛt ɪk or, esp. British, is-/
adjective
1.
pertaining to a sense of the beautiful or to the philosophy of aesthetics.
2.
of or pertaining to the study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty; of or relating to the science of aesthetics.
3.
having a sense of the beautiful; characterized by a love of beauty.
4.
pertaining to, involving, or concerned with pure emotion and sensation as opposed to pure intellectuality.
noun
5.
the philosophical theory or set of principles governing the idea of beauty at a given time and place:
the clean lines, bare surfaces, and sense of space that bespeak the machine-age aesthetic; the Cubist aesthetic.
6.
Archaic. the study of the nature of sensation.
Also, esthetic.
Origin
1815-25; < Neo-Latin aestheticus < Greek aisthētikós, equivalent to aisthēt(ḗs) (see aesthete) + -ikos -ic
Related forms
nonaesthetic, adjective
pseudoaesthetic, adjective
Can be confused
acetic, aesthetic, ascetic.
Synonyms
2. discriminating, cultivated, refined.
Examples from the web for aesthetic
  • The new browser is much more than an aesthetic overhaul.
  • Also, human conscience has its aesthetic component: our taste for "poetic" justice, the idea of symmetry.
  • Jones has become famous for creating a modern dance aesthetic that addresses major moral and social questions.
  • Maintaining the turn-of-the-century aesthetic was key.
  • Today, an inspired aesthetic is everywhere visible, from artisan studios to boutique hotels.
  • Charleston's new bridge needed more than aesthetic appeal.
  • The resulting aesthetic is modern and minimalistic.
  • His latest projects venture into urban landscapes and non-aerials but have the same hauntingly beautiful aesthetic.
  • The color scheme and patterns evoked a laid-back Southwestern aesthetic.
  • Here is mathematics' beauty made visible, with super computers and a kind of cybernetic aesthetic.
British Dictionary definitions for aesthetic

aesthetic

/iːsˈθɛtɪk; ɪs-/
adjective
1.
connected with aesthetics or its principles
2.
  1. relating to pure beauty rather than to other considerations
  2. artistic or relating to good taste: an aesthetic consideration
noun
3.
a principle of taste or style adopted by a particular person, group, or culture: the Bauhaus aesthetic of functional modernity
Derived Forms
aesthetically, (sometimes US) esthetically, adverb
Word Origin and History for aesthetic
n.

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.

aesthetic in Medicine

aesthetic aes·thet·ic or es·thet·ic (ěs-thět'ĭk)
adj.

  1. Relating to the sensations.

  2. Relating to esthetics.