arty

1 of 2

adjective

ˈär-tē How to pronounce arty (audio)
artier; artiest
: showily or pretentiously artistic
arty lighting and photography
artily
ˈär-tə-lē How to pronounce arty (audio)
adverb
artiness
ˈär-tē-nəs How to pronounce arty (audio)
noun

arty

2 of 2

abbreviation

artillery

Examples of arty in a Sentence

Adjective some arty intellectual type who doesn't know the meaning of hard work a rock band with arty pretensions
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
For a while, this kind of durational performance was mostly the province of Madonna’s artier heirs, such as Lady Gaga. — Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026 The wild visuals bring a psychedelic new kineticism to the web-swinging, and teenage Miles Morales is a compellingly modern hero, a sweetly arty Brooklyn kid fish-out-of-watering through a fancy prep school. — Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Aug. 2026 To waste all these resources on some esoteric arty thing, that’s when the schism started to happen for me. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 29 July 2026 Ancient Greek music provided the foundation for Western music to come (the very word music is derived from the Muses, Zeus’ arty daughters, and the modes of Western music theory still have Greek names). — Steve Hochman, SPIN, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for arty

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

art entry 1 + -y entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1901, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arty was in 1901

Phrases Containing arty

Rhymes for arty

See All Rhymes for arty

Browse Nearby Words

artwork
arty
Arua
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Arty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arty. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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