Meaning & use
applied art
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountabletechnical
Artistic design used to make useful objects such as furniture, clothing, or buildings.
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'applied art is important', not 'applied arts are'.
Patterns
- applied art and design
- the applied arts
- study applied art
She studied applied art and now designs furniture.
The museum has a collection of applied art from the nineteenth century.
Applied art turns everyday objects into beautiful things.
Common combinations
- applied art and design
- He teaches applied art and design at the college.
- a degree in applied art
- She has a degree in applied art.
- applied art department
- The applied art department is on the second floor.
- applied art museum
- We visited the applied art museum in the city.
Synonyms and how they differ
- decorative art
- Decorative art focuses on making things beautiful, while applied art stresses that the objects are also useful.
- design
- Design is a broader term that includes the planning of how something will look and work; applied art is the artistic side of that.
Opposites
Word family
- applied artist noun
- A person who creates applied art.
- apply verb
- To put something into practical use.
Commonly confused: applied art or fine art?
applied art vs fine art
Fine art is created mainly for its beauty or meaning, while applied art is created for a practical purpose.
Practice
What is applied art?
Choose one answer.
Applied art is artistic design for useful objects. The other options describe specific types or places for art, not the definition of applied art.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “applied art”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.