# aesthetics

Pronunciation: say "es-THET-iks" /ɛsˈθɛt.ɪks/

## Noun

1. The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and artistic taste.
   - Simple: The study of what makes things beautiful.
   - _Aesthetics examines why certain shapes and sounds strike us as beautiful._
   - _Her graduate work in aesthetics explored the link between symmetry and our sense of beauty._
2. Plural of aesthetic. — plural of aesthetic
   - Simple: Plural of aesthetic. Use this form when talking about more than one style or look.
   - _The gallery juxtaposes clashing aesthetics drawn from rival art movements._
   - _Their two wardrobes reflect wildly different aesthetics._
3. The principles, preferences, and creative aims that together define an artist's approach to their work.
   - Simple: The ideas and tastes that guide an artist's work.
   - _The director's aesthetics favors long takes and soft natural light._
   - _Everything in her studio expresses her stripped-down, minimalist aesthetics._

## Origin

Formed from "aesthetic" combined with the suffix "-ics."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/aesthetics (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).