Standard Lemma guide

sculpture

noun · verb · 12 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈskʌlpt͡ʃɚ/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈskʌlptj(ʊ)ə/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈskʌlpt͡ʃə/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S K AH1 L P CH ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A three-dimensional work of art created by shaping malleable objects and letting them harden or by chipping away pieces from a rock (sculpting).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

More generally (since modernism), a three-dimensional work of art of any material or of mixed materials, whether sculpted, assembled, found, constructed or created using multiple techniques.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Works of art created by sculpting, as a group.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The three-dimensional ornamentation on the outer surface of a shell.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: biology, natural-sciences, zoology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A printed picture, such as an engraving.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To fashion something into a three-dimensional figure.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To represent something in sculpture.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To change the shape of a land feature by erosion etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

creating figures or designs in three dimensions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: carving

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: art, artistic creation, artistic production, fine arts, beaux arts

Narrower terms: modeling, modelling, molding, moulding

10

noun

Meaning 10

a three-dimensional work of plastic art

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: plastic art, solid figure, three-dimensional figure

Narrower terms: bronze, bust, carving, marble, mobile, mold, mould, molding, moulding, modeling, clay sculpture, relief, relievo, rilievo, embossment, sculptural relief, stabile, statue

11

verb

Meaning 11

shape (a material like stone or wood) by whittling away at it

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She is sculpting the block of marble into an image of her husband

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sculpt, grave

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: carve

12

verb

Meaning 12

create by shaping stone or wood or any other hard material

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • sculpt a swan out of a block of ice

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sculpt

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: shape, form, work, mold, mould, forge

History

Etymology

From Middle English sculpture, from Old French sculpture, from Latin sculptūra (“sculpture”), from sculpō (“to cut out, to carve in stone”).

Across languages

Translations

215 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: gdhend — art of sculpting
  • Arabic: نَحْت (naḥt) — art of sculpting
  • Armenian: քանդակագործություն (kʻandakagorcutʻyun) — art of sculpting
  • Azerbaijani: heykəltəraşlıq — art of sculpting
  • Belarusian: скульпту́ра (skulʹptúra) — art of sculpting
  • Belarusian: разбя́рства (razbjárstva) — art of sculpting
  • Bengali: ভাস্কর্য (bhaskorjo) — art of sculpting
  • Bulgarian: скулпту́ра (skulptúra) — art of sculpting
  • Burmese: ပန်းပု (pan:pu.) — art of sculpting
  • Catalan: escultura — art of sculpting
  • Chinese Cantonese: 雕塑 (diu1 sou3) — art of sculpting
  • Chinese Mandarin: 雕塑 (diāosù) — art of sculpting
  • Czech: sochařství — art of sculpting
  • Danish: skulptur — art of sculpting
  • Dutch: beeldhouwen — art of sculpting
  • Dutch: sculptuur — art of sculpting
  • Esperanto: skulptarto — art of sculpting
  • Estonian: skulptuur — art of sculpting
  • Finnish: kuvanveisto — art of sculpting
  • French: sculpture — art of sculpting
  • Galician: escultura — art of sculpting
  • German: Bildhauerkunst — art of sculpting
  • German: Bildhauerei — art of sculpting
  • Greek: γλυπτική (glyptikí) — art of sculpting
  • Ancient Greek: γλυπτική (gluptikḗ) — art of sculpting
  • Hindi: शिल्पकला (śilpaklā) — art of sculpting
  • Hungarian: szobrászat — art of sculpting
  • Icelandic: höggmyndalist — art of sculpting
  • Ido: skulto — art of sculpting
  • Indonesian: seni pahat — art of sculpting
  • Irish: dealbhóireacht — art of sculpting
  • Italian: scultura — art of sculpting
  • Japanese: 彫刻 (chōkoku) — art of sculpting
  • Kazakh: мүсін (müsın) — art of sculpting
  • Kazakh: мүсіндеме (müsındeme) — art of sculpting
  • Kazakh: мүсіндеу (müsındeu) — art of sculpting
  • Khmer: ចំឡាក់ (cɑmlak) — art of sculpting
  • Korean: 조각 (jogak) — art of sculpting
  • Lao: ປະຕິມາກໍາ (pa ti mā kam) — art of sculpting
  • Latin: sculptura — art of sculpting
  • Latvian: tēlniecība — art of sculpting
  • Lithuanian: skulptūra — art of sculpting
  • Macedonian: вајарство (vajarstvo) — art of sculpting
  • Macedonian: скулпту́ра (skulptúra) — art of sculpting
  • Māori: tāraitanga — art of sculpting
  • Middle English: ymagerie — art of sculpting
  • Mongolian: уран баримал (uran barimal) — art of sculpting
  • Norman: stchulptuthe — art of sculpting
  • Norwegian Bokmål: skulptur — art of sculpting
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: skulptur — art of sculpting
  • Iranian Persian: مُجَسَّمِهسازی (mojassame-sâzi) — art of sculpting
  • Polish: rzeźbiarstwo — art of sculpting
  • Portuguese: escultura — art of sculpting
  • Romanian: sculptură — art of sculpting
  • Russian: вая́ние (vajánije) — art of sculpting
  • Russian: скульпту́ра (skulʹptúra) — art of sculpting
  • Russian: ле́пка (lépka) — art of sculpting
  • Serbo-Croatian: вајарство — art of sculpting
  • Serbo-Croatian: vajarstvo — art of sculpting
  • Slovak: sochárstvo — art of sculpting
  • Slovene: kiparstvo — art of sculpting
  • Spanish: escultura — art of sculpting
  • Spanish: esculpidura — art of sculpting
  • Swedish: skulpturkonst — art of sculpting
  • Swedish: bildhuggarkonst — art of sculpting
  • Swedish: bildhuggeri — art of sculpting
  • Swedish: bildformning — art of sculpting
  • Swedish: plastik — art of sculpting
  • Tajik: ҳайкалтарошӣ (haykaltaroši) — art of sculpting
  • Telugu: శిల్పకళ (śilpakaḷa) — art of sculpting
  • Thai: ปฏิมากรรม — art of sculpting
  • Thai: ประติมากรรม (bprà-dtì-maa-gam) — art of sculpting
  • Turkish: heykelcilik — art of sculpting
  • Turkish: heykeltıraşlık — art of sculpting
  • Turkish: yontuculuk — art of sculpting
  • Ukrainian: скульпту́ра (skulʹptúra) — art of sculpting
  • Ukrainian: лі́пка (lípka) — art of sculpting
  • Ukrainian: рі́зьблення (rízʹblennja) — art of sculpting
  • Ukrainian: різьбя́рство (rizʹbjárstvo) — art of sculpting
  • Ukrainian: різьба́рство (rizʹbárstvo) — art of sculpting
  • Uzbek: haykaltaroshlik — art of sculpting
  • Vietnamese: điêu khắc — art of sculpting
  • Walloon: sculteure — art of sculpting
  • Walloon: scultreye — art of sculpting
  • Welsh: cerfluniaeth — art of sculpting
  • Albanian: skulpturë — work of art created by sculpting
  • Arabic: تِمْثَال (timṯāl) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Arabic: مَنْحُوتَة (manḥūta) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Arabic: مُجَسَّم (mujassam) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Armenian: արձան (arjan) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Armenian: քանդակ (kʻandak) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Azerbaijani: heykəl — work of art created by sculpting
  • Bashkir: һәйкәл (həykəl) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Belarusian: скульпту́ра (skulʹptúra) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Bengali: মূর্তি (murti) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Bengali: ভাস্কর্য (bhaskorjo) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Bulgarian: скулпту́ра (skulptúra) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Bulgarian: ста́туя (státuja) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Burmese: ရုပ်တု (ruptu.) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Catalan: escultura — work of art created by sculpting
  • Chinese Cantonese: 雕塑 (diu1 sou3) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Chinese Cantonese: 雕像 (diu1 zoeng6) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Chinese Mandarin: 雕塑 (diāosù) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Chinese Mandarin: 雕像 (diāoxiàng) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Czech: socha — work of art created by sculpting
  • Danish: skulptur — work of art created by sculpting
  • Dutch: beeldhouwwerk — work of art created by sculpting
  • Dutch: beeld — work of art created by sculpting
  • Esperanto: skulptaĵo — work of art created by sculpting
  • Estonian: skulptuur — work of art created by sculpting
  • Finnish: veistos — work of art created by sculpting
  • French: sculpture — work of art created by sculpting
  • Galician: escultura — work of art created by sculpting
  • Georgian: ქანდაკება (kandaḳeba) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Georgian: სკულპტურა (sḳulṗṭura) — work of art created by sculpting
  • German: Skulptur — work of art created by sculpting
  • Greek: γλυπτό (glyptó) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Ancient Greek: γλυπτόν (gluptón) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Hebrew: פֶּסֶל (pésel) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Hindi: शिल्पकला (śilpaklā) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Hindi: प्रतिमा (pratimā) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Hungarian: szobor — work of art created by sculpting
  • Icelandic: skúlptúr — work of art created by sculpting
  • Icelandic: höggmynd — work of art created by sculpting
  • Ido: skulturo — work of art created by sculpting
  • Indonesian: pahatan — work of art created by sculpting
  • Indonesian: patung — work of art created by sculpting
  • Irish: dealbh — work of art created by sculpting
  • Italian: scultura — work of art created by sculpting
  • Japanese: 彫刻 (chōkoku) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Kannada: ಶಿಲ್ಪ (śilpa) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Kazakh: мүсін (müsın) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Khmer: ចំឡាក់ (cɑmlak) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Khmer: រូបឆ្លាក់ (ruup chlak) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Korean: 조각 (jogak) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Northern Kurdish: heykel — work of art created by sculpting
  • Northern Kurdish: peyker — work of art created by sculpting
  • Kyrgyz: скульптура (skulptura) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Kyrgyz: айкел (aykel) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Lao: ຮູບປັ້ນ (hūp pan) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Latin: opera sculpturae — work of art created by sculpting
  • Latin: sculptura — work of art created by sculpting
  • Latvian: skulptūra — work of art created by sculpting
  • Lithuanian: skulptūra — work of art created by sculpting
  • Macedonian: скулпту́ра (skulptúra) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Malay: ukiran — work of art created by sculpting
  • Māori: tāraitanga — work of art created by sculpting
  • Māori: whakaironga — work of art created by sculpting
  • Middle English: ymagerie — work of art created by sculpting
  • Mongolian: баримал (barimal) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Norman: stchulptuthe — work of art created by sculpting
  • Norwegian Bokmål: skulptur — work of art created by sculpting
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: skulptur — work of art created by sculpting
  • Pashto: مجسمه (mojasema) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Pashto: هيکل (haykal) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Dari: مُجَسَّمَه (mujassama) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Iranian Persian: مُجَسَّمِه (mojassame) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Polish: rzeźba — work of art created by sculpting
  • Portuguese: escultura — work of art created by sculpting
  • Romanian: sculptură — work of art created by sculpting
  • Russian: скульпту́ра (skulʹptúra) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Russian: извая́ние (izvajánije) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Russian: ста́туя (státuja) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Serbo-Croatian: ки̑п — work of art created by sculpting
  • Serbo-Croatian: скулпту́ра — work of art created by sculpting
  • Serbo-Croatian: kȋp — work of art created by sculpting
  • Serbo-Croatian: skulptúra — work of art created by sculpting
  • Slovak: socha — work of art created by sculpting
  • Slovene: skulptura — work of art created by sculpting
  • Spanish: escultura — work of art created by sculpting
  • Swahili: kinyago — work of art created by sculpting
  • Swedish: skulptur — work of art created by sculpting
  • Tajik: скулптура (skulptura) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Tajik: муҷассама (mujassama) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Tajik: ҳайкал (haykal) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Tatar: сын (sın) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Tatar: һәйкәл (häykäl) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Telugu: శిల్పం (śilpaṁ) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Thai: รูปปั้น (rûup-bpân) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Turkish: heykel — work of art created by sculpting
  • Turkish: yontu — work of art created by sculpting
  • Turkmen: heýkel — work of art created by sculpting
  • Turkmen: skulptura — work of art created by sculpting
  • Ukrainian: скульпту́ра (skulʹptúra) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Urdu: مُجَسَّمَہ (mujassama) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Urdu: بُت (but) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Uyghur: ھەيكەل (heykel) — work of art created by sculpting
  • Uzbek: haykal — work of art created by sculpting
  • Uzbek: skulptura — work of art created by sculpting
  • Vietnamese: tượng — work of art created by sculpting
  • Walloon: sculteure — work of art created by sculpting
  • Walloon: scultreye — work of art created by sculpting
  • Welsh: cerflun — work of art created by sculpting
  • Bulgarian: вая (vaja) — to fashion into 3D figure
  • Finnish: veistää — to fashion into 3D figure
  • Finnish: muovata — to fashion into 3D figure
  • Galician: esculpir — to fashion into 3D figure
  • German: schnitzen — to fashion into 3D figure
  • Ido: skultar — to fashion into 3D figure
  • Irish: dealbhaigh — to fashion into 3D figure
  • Macedonian: ваја (vaja) — to fashion into 3D figure
  • Polish: rzeźbić — to fashion into 3D figure
  • Polish: wyrzeźbić — to fashion into 3D figure
  • Spanish: esculpir — to fashion into 3D figure
  • Bulgarian: извайвам (izvajvam) — to represent in sculpture
  • Finnish: esittää — to represent in sculpture
  • Galician: esculpir — to represent in sculpture
  • Macedonian: и́зваја (ízvaja) — to represent in sculpture
  • Polish: rzeźbić — to represent in sculpture
  • Polish: wyrzeźbić — to represent in sculpture
  • Romanian: sculpta — to represent in sculpture
  • Spanish: esculpir — to represent in sculpture
  • Finnish: muovata — to shape a land feature
  • Polish: rzeźbić — to shape a land feature
  • Polish: wyrzeźbić — to shape a land feature
Real reading context

sculpture in complete knowledge articles