Is it aesthetic or aesthetics?

Aesthetics is the plural form of the noun aesthetic, meaning “style” or referring to a particular artistic movement (e.g., “the Surrealist aesthetic”).

You can use aesthetics when referring to more than one style (e.g., “The two painters’ aesthetics are quite different”).

Aesthetics is also used to refer to the field of philosophy devoted to the nature of beauty. In this case, it is used as a singular noun (e.g., “Aesthetics is concerned with sensory reactions”).

Use aesthetic when you are referring to one particular style (e.g., “a punk aesthetic”) or when using the word as an adjective (e.g., “aesthetic features”).

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you make sure you’re using singular and plural nouns correctly.