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estheticism

 - 4 dictionary results

es⋅thet⋅i⋅cism

  [es-thet-uh-siz-uhm]
Use estheticism in a Sentence
–noun
aestheticism.

aes⋅thet⋅i⋅cism

  [es-thet-uh-siz-uhm or, especially Brit., ees-]
–noun
1. the acceptance of artistic beauty and taste as a fundamental standard, ethical and other standards being secondary.
2. an exaggerated devotion to art, music, or poetry, with indifference to practical matters.
3. a late Victorian movement in British and American art characterized by a dedicatedly eclectic search for beauty and by an interest in old English, Japanese, and classical art.
Also, estheticism.

Origin:
1855–60; aesthetic + -ism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To estheticism
aes·thet·i·cism or es·thet·i·cism   (ěs-thět'ĭ-sĭz'əm)   
n.  

  1. Devotion to and pursuit of the beautiful; sensitivity to artistic beauty and refined taste.

  2. The doctrine that beauty is the basic principle from which all other principles, especially moral ones, are derived.

es·thet·i·cism   (ěs-thět'ĭ-sĭz'əm)   
n.  Variant of aestheticism.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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