tastemaker

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English taste

Proto-Germanic *makaz

Proto-West Germanic *mak

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti

Proto-Germanic *-ōną

Proto-West Germanic *-ōn

Proto-West Germanic *makōn?

Old English macian

Middle English maken

Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.

Proto-Italic *-āsjos

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Middle English -ere

Middle English maker

English maker

English tastemaker

From taste + maker.

Noun

tastemaker (plural tastemakers)

1. A trendsetter with respect to taste.

   The tastemakers have just discovered his work.

   • 1987 August 30, Grace Glueck, “Tastemakers”, in The New York Times Magazine‎^[1], archived from the original on 28 March 2023:

     SMILE WHEN YOU CALL AN ART worldling a "tastemaker." […] Where previous great tastemakers such as the Steins, the artist Marcel Duchamp and the dealer Alfred Stieglitz were dedicated amateurs, few in number, today there are swarms of them whose interests are professional or commercial.

   • 2025, Karen Hao, Empire of AI, New York City: Penguin Press, →ISBN:

     [Paul] Graham became an essential tastemaker for startups and startup culture in Silicon Valley.