imagery

noun

im·​ag·​ery ˈi-mij-rē 

-mi-jə-

plural imageries

1

a

: pictures produced by an imaging system

imagery from the satellite

b

: the product of image makers : images

A host of computer animation tools … have made it easier to create, manipulate, and multiply imagery.

—Dike Blair et al.

also : the art of making images

2

: figurative language

a poem with biblical imagery

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

For marketing teams, the question has shifted from whether AI imagery is cheaper to which images can afford a label. — Gabriel Alin Zainescu, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026

However, satellite and aerial imagery would show that there had not been any activity at the site of the legal mine. — Gabriela Sa Pessoa, Fortune, 24 July 2026

The Hanged Man in the Rider-Waite deck is depicted as a figure hanging upside down, representing someone who feels stuck and unsure of themselves, which is what the imagery of her words articulates. — Literary Hub, 24 July 2026

Satellite imagery has played important military and open source intelligence roles during the war that began with the United States and Israel attacking Iran on February 28. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 24 July 2026

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