Words / C1

ees-THET-ik/iːsˈθetɪk/

Aesthetic (British spelling) refers to beauty, taste, and how something looks or feels as a designed object — not merely whether it is “pretty.” Native writers talk about aesthetic value, aesthetic judgement, an aesthetic. Beautiful describes a result; aesthetic names the dimension you are judging. Aesthetics is the noun for the philosophy or the look of a work.

Meaning

Connected with beauty and how something looks or feels as art.

Examples

• “The building has little aesthetic appeal.”
• “They chose the font for aesthetic reasons, not speed.”
• “The redesign improved function but spoiled the aesthetic.”

Good to know

UK: aesthetic. About beauty/taste as a category. Noun: aesthetics / an aesthetic.

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