Phrase guide

artistic licence

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any departure from convention or from factual accuracy taken by an artist to achieve a desired effect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • The script takes a little artistic licence with the facts.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 藝術加工 /艺术加工 (yìshù jiāgōng) — any departure from fact or convention by an artist
  • Danish: kunstnerisk frihed — any departure from fact or convention by an artist
  • Finnish: taiteellinen vapaus — any departure from fact or convention by an artist
  • French: licence artistique — any departure from fact or convention by an artist
  • Georgian: ლიცენცია (licencia) — any departure from fact or convention by an artist
  • German: künstlerische Freiheit — any departure from fact or convention by an artist
  • Italian: licenza poetica — any departure from fact or convention by an artist
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kunstnerisk frihet — any departure from fact or convention by an artist
  • Portuguese: licença artística — any departure from fact or convention by an artist
  • Romanian: licență artistică — any departure from fact or convention by an artist
  • Spanish: licencia artística — any departure from fact or convention by an artist
  • Swedish: konstnärlig frihet — any departure from fact or convention by an artist