depiction

noun

de·​pic·​tion di-ˈpik-shən How to pronounce depiction (audio)
dē-
plural depictions
: a representation in words or images of someone or something
The book is fascinating in its depiction of the country's early history.
The first part of the book … is a depiction of the nearly lost world of a North American hunter-gatherer community.Timothy Egan
The late Vermont artist Stephen Huneck made works that are instantly recognizable—bright, accessible, folky depictions of dogs enjoying themselves.James Heflin
By comparison with the depiction of domesticity in such 1950s staples as The Donna Reed Show and Ozzie and Harriet, the portrait of family life on The Dick Van Dyke Show, the emblematic sitcom of the early 1960s, seemed staggering in its sheer smartness and casual elegance.Bruce Bawer

Examples of depiction in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The actress’s style inspirations are currently Rihanna, FKA Twigs, and her mother which are accurate depictions of her current affinity for boundary-breaking, chic ensembles. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 15 Mar. 2024 And Poison shows Dahl’s debt to Rudyard Kipling in a knowing depiction of the empire’s defects. Armond White, National Review, 15 Mar. 2024 The earliest depictions of the saint depict him in blue robes and garments. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 15 Mar. 2024 Visual depictions of Muhammad are considered offensive for many Muslims. Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Images, even photographs, are not necessarily accurate depictions of reality, and this is hardly a secret to photographers or documentarians. Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 13 Mar. 2024 With its sadistic violence, taboo sexuality, and grim depiction of postwar London, Peeping Tom was a flop that essentially ended the illustrious career of director Michael Powell, falling into obscurity until Martin Scorsese rescued it and rehabilitated its reputation with a 1979 re-release. Katie Rife, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024 Much of that context has been ignored in Western depictions of samurai, however, in favor of an almost exclusively venerating portrait—an odd effect of the popularity of Clavell’s Shōgun. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2024 The colors in this image are an artist’s depiction of the rotation of the hydrogen in galaxy J0613+52, as detected by the Green Bank Telescope. Mark Zastrow, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'depiction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of depiction was in 1688

Dictionary Entries Near depiction

Cite this Entry

“Depiction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depiction. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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