impressionist

impressionist — noun

1. a performer who makes people laugh by imitating the voice, movements, and typica

1.nounB2
Definition

a performer who makes people laugh by imitating the voice, movements, and typical phrases of well-known public figures.

Example

At the comedy festival, Sivan worked as an impressionist, mimicking four celebrities in one show.

collocation: worked as an impressionist

The television network hired an impressionist who could imitate the actor's voice and gestures perfectly.

collocation: hire + impressionist

Common collocations
  • impressionist of [famous person]
  • work as an impressionist
  • hired an impressionist
  • impressionist act
  • impressionist performer
  • impressionist show
Synonyms
  • impersonator

    more direct term stressing the act of copying a specific person's identity

  • mimic

    less formal; can describe anyone who copies gestures or speech, not necessarily a paid entertainer

  • copycat

    informal and often disapproving; suggests unoriginal copying rather than skilled entertainment

Grammar Patterns

an impressionist of [famous person]

[determiner] + impressionist

Usage Note

The person being imitated is often introduced with 'of': 'an impressionist of the Prime Minister.' Distinguish from sense 2 (art) by context: if the description involves comedy, voices, or celebrity behaviour, it is sense 1.

Common Mistakes

The impressionist painted beautiful water lilies all afternoon.' (when meaning the comedian)
The impressionist made the crowd laugh by copying the actress's voice perfectly.
Sense 1 refers to a comedic performer, not an art painter.

2. an artist, especially a painter, whose work follows the late-19th-century French

2.nounB2
Definition

an artist, especially a painter, whose work follows the late-19th-century French movement called Impressionism, which aims to show the changing effects of light and colour in everyday scenes.

Example

The impressionist Claude Monet often painted outdoor scenes with quick brushstrokes to capture changing light.

impressionist [name] + painted [outdoor subjects]

As an impressionist, Shirin paints landscapes directly from nature rather than in a studio.

As an impressionist, [person] paints directly from nature

Common collocations
  • French impressionist
  • major impressionist
  • impressionist painter
  • works by impressionists
  • impressionist exhibition
Synonyms
  • painter

    a general term for anyone who paints; does not specify which artistic movement they belong to

  • artist

    broader term covering all creative fields, not limited to painting or Impressionism

  • expressionist

    a different movement; expressionists focused on emotional experience rather than visual light effects

Grammar Patterns

[nationality] impressionist

major/great/French impressionist

Usage Note

Frequently modified by nationality: 'French impressionist', 'American impressionist.' Distinguished from sense 1 (entertainer) by context: if the description mentions painting, a gallery, or an artistic movement, it is sense 2.

Common Mistakes

Monet was an impressionist who copied the Queen's voice at parties.
Monet was an impressionist who painted scenes of water lilies and gardens in soft colours.
An impressionist artist paints; an impressionist entertainer mimics voices and gestures.

impressionist — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words describe people who make visual art, but they differ in scope and historical association. 'Painter' is the most specific to the medium — it refers only to someone who works with paint on a surface, without tying them to any particular school or era. 'Artist' is the broadest term, covering painters, sculptors, photographers, and other creators in any medium. 'Expressionist' names a follower of a different early-20th-century movement that prioritised emotional intensity over accurate colour or light. 'Post-impressionist' refers to artists like Van Gogh and Cézanne who built on Impressionist ideas but rejected its focus on natural light effects. An 'impressionist' is therefore narrower than a painter or artist, distinct from an expressionist in its concern with visual perception, and earlier than post-impressionism in the art-history timeline.

painter ↗artist ↗expressionistpost-impressionist

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • impressionist of the year
  • French impressionist school

Prepositions

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

The word was first used in the 1870s to describe a group of French painters. It comes from the title of Claude Monet's painting 'Impression, soleil levant' (Impression, Sunrise). A critic used the label as an insult, suggesting the painting looked like a rough sketch rather than a finished work. The artists adopted the name themselves. Later, in the 20th century, the sense of 'a comedian who imitates famous people' developed from the idea of creating an 'impression' — a copy or imitation of someone's voice or manner.