adj.
Pronunciation: ' p ā n-t ə r-l ē
Function: adjective
Date: circa 1586
1 : of, relating to, or typical of a painter : ARTISTIC < painterly attention to detail>
2 : suggestive or characteristic of a painting or of the art of painting < painterly photography> especially : marked by an openness of form which is not linear and in which sharp outlines are lacking < painterly brushwork> <a painterly landscape>
– paint · er · li · ness noun