anti-expressionism
|an-ti-ex-press-ion-ism|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.ti.ɪkˈsprɛʃənɪzəm/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.ti.ɪkˈsprɛʃənɪz(ə)m/
against expressionism
Etymology
'anti-expressionism' originates from English, specifically the prefix 'anti-' + the noun 'expressionism', where 'anti-' meant 'against' and 'expressionism' refers to the art movement formed from 'expression' + the suffix '-ism' meaning 'doctrine' or 'practice'.
'anti-expressionism' was formed in English by compounding 'anti-' with 'expressionism'. 'Expressionism' entered English in the early 20th century from German 'Expressionismus', which itself derived from 'Expression' (from Latin 'expressio').
Initially it meant 'being against expressionism' when first coined and has remained largely consistent as a descriptor for opposition to expressionist art, criticism, or tendencies.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
opposition to or rejection of expressionism (an early 20th-century art movement); a stance, tendency, or movement that criticizes or opposes expressionist styles and principles.
Her essays promoted realism and revealed a clear anti-expressionism in her view of modern art.
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Noun 2
a body of artworks, criticism, or theory characterized by deliberate avoidance of expressionist techniques and aims (often favoring restraint, formal clarity, or other alternatives).
The gallery's retrospective highlighted a strand of anti-expressionism among several painters in the 1920s.
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Last updated: 2025/10/27 21:45