Photographic

/ˌfoʊtəˈɡræfɪk/

adjectiveBeginner📊CommonArts
2 meanings3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

Relating to or produced by photography; involving the process of creating images using light-sensitive materials.

/ˌfoʊtəˈɡræfɪk/

adjectiveneutralBeginner
Arts

Relating to or involving photography or photographs.

The artist had a keen photographic eye.

💡 Simply: It's like something that has to do with taking pictures or the pictures themselves! Like the 'photographic memory' you may have heard of, which means you remember things as clear as a photograph.

👶 For kids: It means something about pictures that are taken with a camera!

More Examples

2

The museum featured a series of photographic prints.

3

The documentary used photographic evidence to support its claims.

How It's Used

General

"The museum held a photographic exhibition."

Technical

"The photographic process requires specific chemicals."

2

Describing the ability to remember things in great detail, as if looking at a photograph.

/ˌfoʊtəˈɡræfɪk/

adjectivepositivemedium
General

Having the ability to accurately and vividly remember details like a photograph.

She possessed a photographic memory, recalling every detail from her childhood.

💡 Simply: Ever met someone who remembers every tiny detail, almost like they took a picture of it in their brain? That's a photographic memory!

👶 For kids: It's like having a super brain that can remember things like a picture!

More Examples

2

His photographic memory allowed him to memorize long sequences of numbers.

3

The detective's photographic memory helped him solve the case quickly.

How It's Used

Psychology

"He claimed to have a photographic memory."

Tip:Picture the image your mind creates. It's as clear as a photograph.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Antonyms

From Greek *phōtos* (light) and *graphos* (drawing, writing), combined with the suffix *-ic*. Photography, the root of the word, was initially described as 'writing with light'.

Used since the mid-19th century, coinciding with the invention and proliferation of photography.

Memory tip

Think of the picture you took, and how it's a photographic record.

Word Origin

LanguageGreek
Original meaning

"writing or drawing with light, referring to the process of capturing images using light"

photographic memoryphotographic evidencephotographic imagephotographic exhibitionphotographic process

Common misspellings

fotographicphotograhicphotagraphic

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written