Artistic Critique Terms

noun a quality in something that is considered to be offensive, unpleasant, or undesirable

• The painting was criticized for its use of colors that were considered to be in bad taste.
• I don't like that shirt, it's just bad taste.
• That movie was so cringy, it had such bad taste.
• His jokes always leave a bad taste in my mouth.

noun a word used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

preposition a word used before a noun or pronoun to show its relationship to another word in the sentence

article a word that is used with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun

• The quality of the product was below the mark set by industry standards.
• His performance in the exam was below the mark, he needs to study harder.
• Her outfit was totally below the mark for the party.
• The team's effort fell below the mark, resulting in a disappointing outcome.

adjective not in keeping with good taste; improper or unseemly

• His indecorous behavior at the formal dinner was met with disapproval from the other guests.
• She couldn't believe his indecorous language in front of her parents.
• I can't believe she wore that indecorous outfit to the party.
• The politician's indecorous actions tarnished his reputation in the eyes of the public.

noun a person, place, thing, or idea that is insipid

adjective lacking flavor or zest; not tasty or stimulating

• The insipid speech failed to captivate the audience.
• I couldn't finish the insipid book I was reading.
• That movie was so insipid, I nearly fell asleep.
• Her insipid personality made it hard to connect with her.

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

verb a word that expresses an action or state of being

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence

• The forensic team carefully picked the evidence to pieces in order to gather as much information as possible.
• I watched as my cat picked the toy mouse to pieces in a matter of minutes.
• The critics really picked the movie to pieces, saying it was the worst they had ever seen.
• Her harsh words really picked his self-esteem to pieces.

adjective not pleasing in appearance; unattractive

• The uncomely building stood out among the sleek modern structures in the city.
• She was wearing an uncomely outfit that didn't quite match the occasion.
• That hairstyle is so uncomely, you should definitely change it.
• His uncomely behavior towards his colleagues made it difficult for him to gain their trust.

adjective not feeling or showing any creativity or imagination; lacking in inspiration

• The artist's latest work was criticized for being uninspired and lacking originality.
• I was feeling uninspired today so I didn't get much work done.
• I'm feeling so uninspired, I just want to binge-watch Netflix all day.
• Her speech was uninspired, lacking the passion and energy we were expecting.

adjective showing an excessive or affected interest in or concern with art or artistic matters

• The art critic dismissed the exhibition as too arty-farty for his taste.
• I can't stand all that arty-farty stuff, give me something more down-to-earth.
• Some people think she's just an arty-farty poser.
• His writing style is so arty-farty, it's hard to understand what he's trying to say.