expressionistic
/ɪkˌspreʃ.əˈnɪs.tɪk/ IELTSAcademic
adjective
Expressionistic art, writing, or performance shows strong feelings in a bold, unusual, or exaggerated way. It is more about emotion and effect than realistic details.
- The film uses expressionistic lighting.
- Her painting style feels dark and expressionistic.
- The novel has an expressionistic tone.
Adinary Nuance
Expressionistic is close to emotional, dramatic, and stylized, but it is more specific. Writers use it for art that bends reality to show inner feelings. It is different from expressive, which can describe any strong feeling or clear communication.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- mang tính biểu hiện
- Spanish
- expresionista
- Chinese
- 表现主义的
- Japanese
- 表現主義的
- Korean
- 표현주의적인
Etymology
Expressionistic comes from expressionism, a modern art movement from the early 20th century. It was built from express plus the ending -istic.
Common phrases
expressionistic styleexpressionistic artexpressionistic film
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is expressionistic a common word in everyday English?
- Not really. It is more common in art, film, and literature discussions.
- What is the difference between expressionistic and expressive?
- Expressionistic describes a style that distorts reality for effect. Expressive means showing feelings clearly.
- Can I use expressionistic for music?
- Yes, if the music feels bold, emotional, and highly stylized.