aesthete

[es-theet, ees-]

noun

1. a person who has or professes to have refined sensitivity toward the beauties of art or nature.

   Synonyms: connoisseur

2. a person who affects great love of art, music, poetry, etc., and indifference to practical matters.

   Synonyms: dilettante

aesthete

/ ˈiːsθiːt /

noun

1. a person who has or who affects a highly developed appreciation of beauty, esp in poetry and the visual arts

Other Word Forms

• hyperaesthete noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of aesthete¹

1880–85; < Greek aisthētḗs one who perceives, equivalent to aisthē- (variant stem of aisthánesthai to perceive) + -tēs noun suffix denoting agent

Word History and Origins

Origin of aesthete¹

C19: back formation from _aesthetics

Example Sentences

He added: "Carpenter is above all a brilliant aesthete, her videos and album artwork uniformly inspired."

From BBC

Ludwig II of Bavaria was a zealous aesthete with enough personal wealth to treat part of what is now Germany as an architectural canvas.

From Salon

In the southwest corner, an aesthete’s low wooden fence matches the stain of twin soil beds enclosed within it.

From Los Angeles Times

Now, there is Eggers’ film: the aesthete’s rendition, concerned with how the past works blur into the now.

From Salon

It telegraphs that Abigail is no barbaric horror fiend but instead a sophisticated aesthete, which makes her both scarier and funnier.

From New York Times