Art Critique Terminology

adjective relating to or inclined toward love, especially sexual love

• The novel explores the complexities of amatory relationships in the 18th century.
• She's always reading those cheesy amatory novels.
• I'm not really into all that mushy amatory stuff.
• His amatory gestures towards her were met with indifference.

adjective lacking in originality, freshness, or novelty; trite

• The speaker's banal remarks failed to captivate the audience.
• I'm tired of hearing the same banal jokes over and over again.
• Stop being so banal, spice things up a bit!
• Her mind was a vast wasteland of banal thoughts.

adjective lacking energy, enthusiasm, or courage

• The team's performance was spiritless and lacked energy.
• She felt spiritless after staying up all night studying.
• I can't believe you're so spiritless about going to the party.
• The abandoned house had a spiritless atmosphere, as if all life had left it.

adjective not pleasing in appearance; lacking in beauty or attractiveness

• The unaesthetic design of the building was met with criticism from architectural experts.
• I find that painting to be unaesthetic, it just doesn't appeal to me.
• That outfit is so unaesthetic, you should definitely change before going out.
• The unaesthetic nature of his words left a bitter taste in my mouth.

adjective A word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. In this case, 'unlovely' describes something that is not attractive or pleasing.

• The unlovely building stood out among the elegant architecture of the city.
• I don't like that unlovely dress you're wearing.
• That unlovely haircut is not doing you any favors.
• Her unlovely personality made it hard for others to warm up to her.

noun lack of sophistication or refinement; simplicity

• The unsophistication of the design was evident in its lack of intricate details.
• Her unsophistication showed when she couldn't use the fancy cutlery at the restaurant.
• His unsophistication was a real turn-off for the group of friends.
• The unsophistication of his taste in music was like nails on a chalkboard to her.

noun a lack of intelligence or thought

• The vacuity of the room was evident as there was no furniture or decorations present.
• I can't stand the vacuity of small talk at parties.
• Her Instagram feed is full of vacuity, just selfies and food pics.
• His mind was a vacuity, unable to grasp the complexities of the situation.

adjective describing the appearance of something as extremely bad or unpleasant

• The awful-looking building was in desperate need of renovation.
• I can't believe how awful-looking that new restaurant is.
• That outfit is so awful-looking, I can't believe she actually wore it.
• The awful-looking storm clouds on the horizon signaled trouble ahead.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action or state of being

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

adverb a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb

interjection a word or phrase that expresses strong emotion or surprise

• The complex mathematical equation colour me confused, I will need more time to understand it.
• All these different routes on the map colour me confused, I have no idea which way to go.
• Her sudden change in behavior colour me intrigued, I wonder what's going on in her mind.
• The unexpected turn of events colour me surprised, I never saw that coming.