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Glite Dictionary
🏛️ Art film theater 🎬 Experimental style
arthouse

arthouse

8.2
Films that are artistic and not made for a large audience
  • adjective
  • /ˈɑrθˌhaʊs/
translation icon : de autor
  • The first was at an arthouse theater in Montclair, NJ, the second at a multiplex theater in Clifton, NJ.

Examples

  • Many viewers enjoy attending arthouse screenings to discover unique films that are not widely shown in commercial theaters.

  • The film was praised for its originality and experimental style, making it a true arthouse masterpiece.

  • The director's latest work is an arthouse film that challenges conventional storytelling techniques.

Synonyms

indie
vsarthouse
  • Jargon
75 5.1

Made by a small artist, group, or company rather than by a major studio

focuses on unconventional experimental works aimed at a small artistic audience rather than production method
artsy
vsarthouse
  • Informal
10 4.3

Having a creative, unusual style like an artist

emphasizes experimental content and limited artistic audience rather than style alone
avant-garde
vsarthouse
7 8.2

Being new and unusual in art, fashion, or music

is experimental but aims at a small artistic audience rather than radical novelty
nonmainstream
vsarthouse
7.0

People and art that are not part of common culture or trends

is similar but focuses on experimental artistic works for a limited audience

How Experimental

avant-garde
7 8.2
experimental
223 4.7
arthouse
8.2

Surface Forms

arthouse positive

Morphology

arthouse = art + house (semi-transparent) = art + house

The components 'art' + 'house' are clear but the compound denotes a specialized category of films/venues, a metaphorical extension not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Arthouse comes from joining art and house, literally a 'house for art'. So when we call a film or a style arthouse, we mean it is artistic and experimental and made for a smaller, art-focused audience, not for a wide, mainstream crowd.