artwork
Artwork (noun) means a piece of visual art, such as a painting, drawing, or sculpture. Example: “The gallery insured the artwork for half a million dollars.”
How to use artwork
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a work of art itself, or the images/graphics used in a printed or published piece.
Word forms
artworks plural
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The gallery insured the _____ for half a million dollars.
Etymology
From art + work — literally "work of art," first used for illustrations prepared for print.
Related words
Frequently asked questions
What does “artwork” mean?
The word “artwork” means a piece of visual art, such as a painting, drawing, or sculpture. In plain terms, either a work of art itself, or the images/graphics used in a printed or published piece.
How do you pronounce “artwork”?
“Artwork” is pronounced AHT-wurk (/ˈɑɹtˌwɝk/ in IPA).
How do you use “artwork” in a sentence?
Here is “artwork” used in a sentence: “The gallery insured the artwork for half a million dollars.”
What part of speech is “artwork”?
“Artwork” is a noun.
Is “artwork” a common word?
“Artwork” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “artwork” have?
“Artwork” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a piece of visual art, such as a painting, drawing, or sculpture.
Is "artwork" countable or uncountable?
"Artwork" works both ways. It is countable when it means an individual piece of visual art ("an artwork," "several artworks"), and uncountable when it refers to illustrations, graphics, or design elements as a whole ("the artwork for the album cover").
What is the difference between "artwork" and "art"?
"Art" is a broad, usually uncountable term for creative visual work in general, while "artwork" points to a specific piece or to graphics prepared for printing and publishing. You would say "modern art" but "the artwork on the sleeve."
Is "artwork" written as one word or two?
"Artwork" is standardly written as a single word. The two-word form "art work" is now rare and generally treated as an older spelling variant.
What prepositions are commonly used with "artwork"?
The usual pairings are "artwork for" a project or publication and "artwork by" the artist, as in "artwork for the magazine" and "artwork by a local painter."
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