noun
Common
artwork
AHT-wurk
Artwork (noun) means a piece of visual art, such as a painting, drawing, or sculpture. Example: “Visitors admired the colourful artwork hanging in the entrance hall.”
noun
1
A piece of visual art, such as a painting, drawing, or sculpture.
"Visitors admired the colourful artwork hanging in the entrance hall."
"The gallery insured the artwork for half a million dollars."
"A framed piece of original artwork hung above the fireplace."
2
Illustrations, graphics, or design elements prepared for printing or publishing.
"Please upload the artwork as a high-resolution file before the magazine goes to press."
"The book's cover artwork was approved after two rounds of changes."
"The designer sent the final artwork to the printer on Friday."
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.
Common pairings
original artwork
cover artwork
submit the artwork
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Word forms
- Plural
- artworks
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Visitors admired the colourful _____ hanging in the entrance hall.
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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