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brushstroke

brushstroke

7 4.0
A mark or line made by a paintbrush that shows the artist's style
  • noun
  • /ˈbrʌʃstroʊk/
translation icon : pincelada
  • The artist's unique style is evident in every brushstroke of his latest painting.
  • broad brushstroke
  • brushstrokes in painting

Examples

  • The painter analyzes brushstrokes and color, choices to express a unique style.

    Academic text (2006)
  • I love his brushstrokes.

  • It's so different when you can see the brushstrokes up close.

  • Uh, the brushstrokes on this are really dynamic.

  • There are no brushstrokes in this painting.

  • The expert brushstrokes, the smooth lines...

  • His brushstrokes are really intense, aren't they?

  • Have the students work toward long, vibrant brushstrokes that parallel the beginning, middle, and end of the musical phrase.

    Academic text (2014)
  • The aesthetic value can be found in the plurality of coalesced brushstrokes.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Rough, blocky, and uneven, the brushstrokes seem hurried.

    Academic text (2012)

Synonyms

stroke
vsbrushstroke
77 3.7

A single hitting or moving action in sports, art and writing

is the painting-specific mark that often shows artist style
brush stroke
vsbrushstroke
7 3.3

A mark made by a brush in a painting

is the single-word modern spelling of the same painting mark

How Visible

impasto
  • Specialized
1 9.8
brushstroke
7 4.0
wash
  • Specialized
10 6.7

Surface Forms

brushstroke singular
brushstrokes plural

Morphology

brushstroke = brush + stroke (transparent) = brush + stroke

Meaning is directly derived from the clear combination of 'brush' + 'stroke' referring to a mark made by a brush.

Etymology

The word brushstroke is made from brush ('a tool for paint') and stroke ('a single movement or mark'), so imagine an artist moving a brush in one smooth action across a canvas. That's why a brushstroke is the mark or movement made by a paintbrush and often shows the artist's style.