brushstroke

noun

brush·stroke ˈbrəsh-ˌstrōk

: the configuration given to paint by contact with the bristles of a brush

also : the paint left on a surface by a single application of a brush or palette knife

—often used figuratively to describe the quality especially of a narrative or description

a story told in broad brushstrokes

Examples of brushstroke in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

It was painted with clear, coarse brushstrokes, typical of Paul’s self-portraits—the head small, the mouth broad, the hair dark and tight—and the face was turned toward the viewer. —

Karl Ove Knausgaard, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025 After a plasterer filled in holes in the walls, the couple painstakingly completed the stripes themselves, applying watercolor paint with small brushstrokes. —

Jane Margolies, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025 The images were abstract, with brushstrokes plainly visible. —

Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Jan. 2025 The masterful subtlety of light brushstrokes and the troublingly realistic sfumato of the Renaissance painter in the service of god or a noblewoman elevated the work and, by extension, its maker to celebrity. —

Ruby Justice Thelot, ARTnews.com, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for brushstroke