aesthetic
adjective /iːsˈθetɪk/, /esˈθetɪk/
/esˈθetɪk/
(North American English also esthetic)
- the aesthetic appeal of the songs
- an aesthetic appreciation of the landscape
- The works of art are judged on purely aesthetic grounds.
- The benefits of conservation are both financial and aesthetic.
- made in an artistic way and beautiful to look at
- Their furniture was more aesthetic than functional.
Word Originlate 18th cent. (in the sense ‘relating to perception by the senses’): from Greek aisthētikos, from aisthēta ‘perceptible things’, from aisthesthai ‘perceive’. The sense ‘concerned with beauty’ was first used in German in the mid 18th cent. and adopted into English in the early 19th cent., but its use was controversial until much later in the century.