French word

impressionniste

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛ̃pʁesjonist/

Meaning

  • adjectiveimpressionist

Example

Elle aime les peintures impressionnistes.

She likes impressionist paintings.

Illustration for impressionniste (impressionist)

More examples

Le musée expose des tableaux impressionnistes.

The museum displays Impressionist paintings.

Core concept

A scene appears through separate, noticeable touches of bright color that capture a passing visual moment.

Common phrases

  • peintre impressionniste

    Impressionist painter

  • tableau impressionniste

    Impressionist painting

  • mouvement impressionniste

    Impressionist movement

Similar words

réaliste: Faithfully portraying the details and appearance of the real world.
abstrait: Conveying feelings or ideas through lines and colors instead of recognizable forms.
moderne: Introducing new ideas and techniques without being bound by tradition.
coloré: Featuring vivid or varied colors that strongly shape the overall effect.

Definition in French

Qualifie ce qui relève de l'impressionnisme, caractérisé par des touches visibles, une couleur vibrante et la capture d'une impression fugitive.

Word origin

The word derives from French impression plus -iste, and its artistic use developed in the 1870s around Monet's title Impression, soleil levant.

Usage tips

  • French also uses impressionniste as a noun for an Impressionist artist, with the article marking the use: un impressionniste or une impressionniste.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word