Meaning & use
artisan
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person skilled in a handcraft, who makes things such as furniture, pottery or bread with care.
Grammar: Countable: a local artisan, many artisans.
Patterns
- a skilled artisan
- an artisan who makes something
Each ceramic bowl in the shop was shaped by a local artisan.
The village is home to many artisans who weave baskets.
An artisan spent weeks carving the wooden door.
adjectivebefore a nounapproving
Made by hand in small amounts using traditional skill, rather than in a large factory.
Grammar: Used before a noun: artisan bread; often a marketing word.
Patterns
- artisan bread
- artisan cheese
We bought artisan bread from a small bakery.
The market sells artisan cheese from local farms.
She prefers artisan chocolate to factory-made bars.
Word forms
| plural | artisans |
|---|
Common combinations
- skilled artisan
- A skilled artisan restored the antique clock.
- local artisan
- The shop sells jewelry made by a local artisan.
- artisan bread
- The bakery is known for its artisan bread.
- artisan market
- Every Saturday, the artisan market fills the square.
- artisan craft
- Pottery is a traditional artisan craft here.
Synonyms and how they differ
- craftsman
- Craftsman is a close synonym but is gendered, whereas artisan is neutral.
- artist
- An artist creates work mainly for its beauty or ideas, while an artisan stresses practical skill and craft.
- craftsperson
- Craftsperson is a neutral term close to artisan, though it is less often used for food products.
- tradesperson
- Tradesperson covers any skilled trade, such as plumbing, not only handmade goods.
Word family
Commonly confused: artisan or artesian?
artisan vs artesian
Artesian describes a well where water rises under natural pressure, and it sounds like artisan but means something else.
Practice
What does artisan bread usually mean?
Choose one answer.
Artisan suggests traditional, small-scale, hand-made production. It does not mean factory production, a fixed price or the absence of flour.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “artisan”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.