[es-thet-iks or, especially Brit., ees-] 
) | 1. | the branch of philosophy dealing with such notions as the beautiful, the ugly, the sublime, the comic, etc., as applicable to the fine arts, with a view to establishing the meaning and validity of critical judgments concerning works of art, and the principles underlying or justifying such judgments. |
| 2. | the study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty. |
[es-thet-ik or, especially Brit., ees-] | 1. | pertaining to a sense of the beautiful or to the science of aesthetics. |
| 2. | having a sense of the beautiful; characterized by a love of beauty. |
| 3. | pertaining to, involving, or concerned with pure emotion and sensation as opposed to pure intellectuality. |
| 4. | a philosophical theory or idea of what is aesthetically valid at a given time and place: the clean lines, bare surfaces, and sense of space that bespeak the machine-age aesthetic. |
| 5. | aesthetics. |
| 6. | Archaic. the study of the nature of sensation. |
| aes·thet·ic or es·thet·ic (ěs-thět'ĭk) adj.
[German ästhetisch, from New Latin aesthēticus, from Greek aisthētikos, of sense perception, from aisthēta, perceptible things, from aisthanesthai, to perceive; see au- in Indo-European roots.] aes·thet'i·cal·ly adv. |
| aes·thet·ics or es·thet·ics (ěs-thět'ĭks) n.
|
The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of art and with judgments concerning beauty. “What is art?” and “What do we mean when we say something is beautiful?” are two questions often asked by aestheticians.
Note: The term aesthete is sometimes used negatively to describe someone whose pursuit of beauty is excessive or appears phony.
aesthetic aes·thet·ic or es·thet·ic (ěs-thět'ĭk)
adj.
Relating to the sensations.
Relating to esthetics.
aesthetics aes·thet·ics or es·thet·ics (ěs-thět'ĭks)
n.
The study of psychological aspects of beauty, especially with the components thereof as they relate to appearance.
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