depiction

noun

de·​pic·​tion di-ˈpik-shən 

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

Synonyms

• definition
• delineation
• description
• picture
• portrait
• portraiture
• portrayal
• rendering
• sketch
• vignette

Examples of depiction in a Sentence

the set piece of the novel is a depiction of the battle that makes readers feel like they were there

Recent Examples on the Web

However, the Blanchard family disputes the show’s depiction of Nick as a well-meaning kid living with learning disabilities. —Katie Rife, EW.com, 9 June 2024

Most notably, the study found that U.K websites featured medicinal claims for smoking cessation, associations with youth culture and depictions of young people using e-cigarettes. —Jon-Patrick Allem, The Conversation, 31 May 2024

Yes, now there’s a trove notable for massive bronze cauldrons and tiny coins, depictions of writhing serpents and exquisite silk-gauze robes — excavated in the Yangzi River area and then displayed in Chinese museums. —Robert Taylor, The Mercury News, 31 May 2024

The Big Cigar is both a depiction of that fraught affinity and a cannily self-aware product of it. —Judy Berman, TIME, 30 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above