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 of depiction

• description
• portrait
• portrayal
• picture

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

Before it was finished—before anyone had even read the script, which Universal had locked down like the nuclear codes—the religious right had decried his depiction of Jesus as blasphemous. —Isaac Butler, New Yorker, 30 May 2026

For the Hiram Johnson Warriors, that mandate has put new focus on the gym mural featuring a stereotypical depiction of a Native American. —Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026

For all the prior cinematic depictions of storming bunkers and camaraderie under fire, Pressure offers us the quiet heroism of rational restraint in the figure of James Stagg, who weathered his inner storms and bore the courage to be disliked. —Daniel Jonah Wolpert, NPR, 29 May 2026

In this way, the film offers one of the most unique and realistic depictions of a famous historical battle ever put to screen. —Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for depiction

• addiction
• affliction
• constriction
• conviction
• eviction
• infliction
• nonfiction
• prediction
• restriction
• antifriction
• benediction
• contradiction