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

Spielberg's excellent take on the Invasion of Normandy was groundbreaking in its graphic depictions of the battlefield but especially for its ferocious knockout of an opening. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 13 June 2026

Reactions were otherwise subdued during the film—a life-like, but glossy depiction of the Iranian regime that struggled to keep audience attention. —Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026

There are other videos that are even more explicit, full of racial slurs and graphic depictions of the violence and even rape. —Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2026

Showing an early talent for painting, Hockney sold his first canvas, a depiction of his father, in 1957 for £10. —News Desk, Artforum, 12 June 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