imagery

noun

im·​ag·​ery ˈi-mij-rē 

-mi-jə-

plural imageries

1

a

: pictures produced by an imaging system

b

: the product of image makers : images

also : the art of making images

2

: figurative language

3

: mental images

especially : the products of imagination

Examples of imagery in a Sentence

The book contains a great deal of sexual imagery.

The movie was full of biblical imagery.

Recent Examples on the Web

Commercial imagery isn’t meant to replace the classified satellites; it is meant to be used alongside them. —Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025

For horror films in particular, Korean viewers are already accustomed to the evocative imagery and genre-bending thrills from directors like Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook, but global audiences are now seeking them out in greater numbers than ever before. —Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025

Studios, at the site of a former Texaco oil refinery, is designed by global architecture firm Gensler to evoke the imagery of Golden Age Hollywood. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025

Scans revealed the magnets had clustered into four chains in the lower-right side of his abdomen, pulling together different sections of his bowel with their magnetic force, the report said, noting some imagery was distorted by the magnets. —Hanna Park, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ymagerie "images portrayed in sculpture, painting, etc.," borrowed from Anglo-French, from ymage, image image entry 1 + -erie -ery

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing imagery

• satellite imagery

Kids Definition

imagery

noun

im·​ag·​ery ˈim-ij-(ə-)rē 

plural imageries

1

: images that can be seen or that are imagined

2

: language that suggests how someone or something looks, sounds, feels, smells, or tastes

Medical Definition

imagery

noun

im·​ag·​ery ˈim-ij-(ə-)rē 

plural imageries

: mental images

eidetic imagery

especially : the products of imagination

psychotic imagery