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arty-farty

arty-farty

1 8.9
Trying to seem artistic in a way that feels false or silly
  • adjective
  • /ˈɑrti ˈfɑrti/
  • Offensive
translation icon : artistoide
  • Your Honor, this is harassment, and frankly, it's still a little arty-farty.

Examples

  • All I'm seeing is the same clever, dicky, trendy-boy-arty-farty crap they were doing 15 years ago.

    Blog text (6)
  • - You never know with them arty-farty types.

  • His paintings are interesting, but they often come off as a bit arty-farty for my taste.

  • She always has to include some arty-farty elements in her designs, which can be distracting.

  • The exhibition featured many arty-farty installations that seemed more concerned with style than substance.

Synonyms

pretentious
vsarty-farty
  • Offensive
74 7.3

Trying to seem more important or clever than you really are

limits that tendency specifically to artistic style and aesthetics
flamboyant
vsarty-farty
35 6.5

Being very bright and showy to attract attention

is about pretentious artistic posturing rather than bold visual display
fartsy
vsarty-farty
  • Offensive
5 9.9

Trying to seem artistic in a showy, overdone way

is focused on showy artistic affectation rather than sincere artistry
showy
vsarty-farty
1 4.4

Skillful actions done to impress other people

is narrower, applying specifically to pretentious artistic presentation
frou-frou
vsarty-farty
  • Archaic
1 9.6

Having a very showy, overly decorated style

places more weight on pretentious artistic intent than mere decoration
too arty
vsarty-farty
  • Informal
1 7.9

Very showy and trying to seem clever so many people do not like it

is about pretentious artistic display rather than balanced creative choice
arty-crafty
vsarty-farty
  • Offensive
9.0

Something that looks artistic in a fake, too clever way to impress people

is centered on pretentious artistic style rather than merely being charming
pompier
vsarty-farty
  • Jargon
9.9

Showy art that follows old academic rules and lacks new ideas

focuses more on pretentious style than on academic conventionality
aureate
vsarty-farty
  • Literature
9.9

Having very fancy, flowery language with many showy words

is about pretentious artistic image rather than ornate verbal style
artsy-craftsy
vsarty-farty
  • Informal
8.2

Trying to look artistic in a homemade arts and crafts style that looks a bit silly

is more about pretentious professional style than playful amateur affectation

Antonyms

239 2.5

Being honest and showing what you really feel

How Pretentious

arty-farty
  • Offensive
1 8.9
arty-crafty
  • Offensive
9.0
artsy
  • Informal
10 4.3

Surface Forms

arty-farty positive

Morphology

arty-farty = arty + farty (semi-transparent) = art + fart + y + y

The meaning is clearly tied to 'arty' (art + -y), but the rhyming echo '-farty' is playful and the pejorative/intensifying nuance may not be obvious to learners.

Etymology

Arty-farty comes from art, meaning 'artistic', plus a playful rhyme that copies arty as farty to make the idea sound silly. That's why arty-farty is used to mock people or things that are too 'pretentiously artistic' or try too hard to seem creative.