Depictions

/dɪˈpɪkʃənz/

nounBeginner📊CommonLiterature
1 meaning2 questions

Definitions

1

Representations of a person, thing, or scene, often in art or literature.

/dɪˈpɪkʃənz/

nounneutralBeginner
Literature

Representations of something.

The artist created detailed depictions of the local wildlife.

💡 Simply: Imagine someone is telling a story or showing you a picture. Depictions are the ways they show you what something looks like. Like, a painting is a depiction of a landscape, or a book gives a depiction of a person.

👶 For kids: Pictures or stories that show what something looks like.

More Examples

2

The book contained vivid depictions of life in the trenches during the war.

3

The documentary provided realistic depictions of the struggles faced by refugees.

4

The historical paintings offered accurate depictions of royal life.

How It's Used

Art

"The museum featured various depictions of historical events."

Literature

"The author's vivid depictions of the characters brought them to life."

Media

"The news provided graphic depictions of the disaster."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Antonyms

From the verb 'depict,' derived from the Latin word 'depingere,' meaning 'to paint thoroughly,' or 'describe in detail'. It evolved to describe a representation, often visual, of something.

The word has been used since the late 17th century, initially relating to painting and visual arts, and expanding to encompass descriptions in literature and other forms of media later.

Memory tip

Think 'picture.' Depictions are like pictures, but described or shown in various ways.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"to paint thoroughly, describe in detail"

vivid depictionsrealistic depictionshistorical depictionsgraphic depictionsartistic depictions

Common misspellings

depictonsdepictionss

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written