vi·su·al
ˈvi-zhə-wəl 
-zhəl;
ˈvizh-wəl
1
: of, relating to, or used in vision
visual organs
2
: attained or maintained by sight
visual impressions
3
: visible
visual objects
4
: producing mental images : vivid
5
: done or executed by sight only
visual navigation
6
: of, relating to, or employing visual aids
: something (such as a graphic) that appeals to the sight and is used for effect or illustration
—usually used in plural
Synonyms
Examples of visual in a Sentence
Adjective
color, shape, and other visual attributes
She appreciates the visual arts such as painting and film.
Maps are a visual tool for learning.
Noun
Should I include some visuals in my presentation?
a film director known for his powerful visuals
Recent Examples on the Web
Edwidge Danticat, The New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2024
The goal was to enhance the area's visual landscape and foster community engagement.
—Stacy Ryburn, arkansasonline.com, 22 Apr. 2024
Jam bands, of course, have a long history of elaborate visual presentations.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Previous research found sleeping pigeons experience brain activity in regions linked to visual processing and signals from the wings—suggesting the common city birds might dream of flight.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024
Thermaltake also equips that section with separate headphone and microphone jacks (rather than a four-pole combo jack), using power and reset buttons to set the space’s visual boundaries.
—PCMAG, 21 Apr. 2024
Its importance even transcends music: The album’s famed cover—featuring Nasir Jones as a child, with a photo of the Queensbridge Houses as the backdrop—has inspired visual artists.
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
Elgato is targeting people participating in online sales, video podcasts, events, product demonstrations, community building, and other areas where audio and visual content has been growing in recent years.
—Tom Warren, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
For Anastasio, the Vegas gigs will offer a chance to experiment with a new venue packed with sonic and visual opportunities.
—Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 23 Apr. 2024
Everyone lives in a world where visuals are endlessly circulated and reused.
—Jon Stojan, Detroit Free Press, 12 Apr. 2024
His visuals for the ensuing road trip are provocative, and his fluency with action yields genuine suspense, but the protagonists are little more than archetypes with conveniently old-school philosophies of journalism.
—The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
Amanda McCoy | Visuals editor Amanda produces daily and documentary videos and leads our visuals team.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024
Even with that performance, those visuals, and that sense of humor, there are occasions — particularly in the finale, which largely takes place at the reeducation camp — where The Sympathizer, like its hero, gets too lost in its own head.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
On his Instagram, the designer posted a visual to associate with the collection.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 12 Apr. 2024
Running off of a Intel 12th Generation Core i7 processor with a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 handling the visuals, output is stable and speedy.
—K. Thor Jensen, PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024
The viral footage, among other visuals shared on social media, quickly opened the floodgates.
—Leda Joy Abkenari, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Adjective
In the summer of 2023, Carrefour Feuilles, a district in Port-au-Prince that many writers, visual artists, and musicians call home, was attacked by armed criminal groups.
—Edwidge Danticat, The New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2024
The goal was to enhance the area's visual landscape and foster community engagement.
—Stacy Ryburn, arkansasonline.com, 22 Apr. 2024
Jam bands, of course, have a long history of elaborate visual presentations.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Previous research found sleeping pigeons experience brain activity in regions linked to visual processing and signals from the wings—suggesting the common city birds might dream of flight.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024
Thermaltake also equips that section with separate headphone and microphone jacks (rather than a four-pole combo jack), using power and reset buttons to set the space’s visual boundaries.
—PCMAG, 21 Apr. 2024
Its importance even transcends music: The album’s famed cover—featuring Nasir Jones as a child, with a photo of the Queensbridge Houses as the backdrop—has inspired visual artists.
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
Elgato is targeting people participating in online sales, video podcasts, events, product demonstrations, community building, and other areas where audio and visual content has been growing in recent years.
—Tom Warren, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
For Anastasio, the Vegas gigs will offer a chance to experiment with a new venue packed with sonic and visual opportunities.
—Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Noun
Inside, the venue's 160,000-square-foot display with 16K by 16K resolution displays immersive visuals, backed by the world's largest beamforming audio system, according to The Venetian.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 23 Apr. 2024
Everyone lives in a world where visuals are endlessly circulated and reused.
—Jon Stojan, Detroit Free Press, 12 Apr. 2024
His visuals for the ensuing road trip are provocative, and his fluency with action yields genuine suspense, but the protagonists are little more than archetypes with conveniently old-school philosophies of journalism.
—The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
Amanda McCoy | Visuals editor Amanda produces daily and documentary videos and leads our visuals team.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024
Even with that performance, those visuals, and that sense of humor, there are occasions — particularly in the finale, which largely takes place at the reeducation camp — where The Sympathizer, like its hero, gets too lost in its own head.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
On his Instagram, the designer posted a visual to associate with the collection.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 12 Apr. 2024
Running off of a Intel 12th Generation Core i7 processor with a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 handling the visuals, output is stable and speedy.
—K. Thor Jensen, PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024
The viral footage, among other visuals shared on social media, quickly opened the floodgates.
—Leda Joy Abkenari, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'visual.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near visual
Cite this Entry
“Visual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/visual. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
visual
1 of 2 adjective
vi·su·al
ˈvizh-(ə-)wəl
ˈvizh-əl
1
: of, relating to, or used in vision
visual organs
2
: received by sight
visual impressions
3
: visible sense 1
visual objects
4
: of, relating to, or using visual aids
a visual presentation
visual
2 of 2 noun
: something (as a picture, chart, or film) that appeals to the sight and is used to illustrate, demonstrate, or advertise
—usually used in plural
Medical Definition
visual
adjective
vi·su·al
ˈvizh-(ə-)wəl, ˈvizh-əl
1
: of, relating to, or used in vision
visual organs
2
: attained or maintained by sight
visual impressions
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