depict

verb

de·​pict di-ˈpikt 

dē-

depicted; depicting; depicts

transitive verb

1

: to represent by or as if by a picture

a mural depicting a famous battle

2

: describe sense 1

the way the novelist depicts his female characters

depicter

di-ˈpik-tər 

dē-

noun

Did you know?

Depict and Depiction

If you depict someone or something, you show what that person or thing is like—either in some kind of image (such as a drawing, painting, photograph, or movie), or with words.

What results from your efforts to depict that person or thing can be called a depiction. The noun depiction is included at this entry without a definition because its meaning can be easily understood from the definition of the verb—it's the act of, or an instance of, depicting something or someone—but some examples of depiction in a sentence might be helpful:

The depiction of the battle in the painting is not historically correct.

I think the novel is a good depiction of a typical modern American marriage.

Many were moved by the film's depictions of animals helping people.

The author's depiction of the practice as uncommon is problematic; it's done by millions of people throughout the world every day.

The essay is an honest depiction of life in the city.

The book is fascinating in its depiction of the country's early history.

Synonyms

• delineate
• describe
• draw
• image
• limn
• paint
• picture
• portray
• render
• set out
• sketch

Examples of depict in a Sentence

The wall was painted with a large mural depicting famous scenes from American history.

Several of the architect's most famous buildings will soon be depicted on postage stamps.

The photograph depicts the two brothers standing in front of a store.

Angels are usually depicted with wings.

In the drawing, the magic cap was depicted as a soft, black hat.

The movie depicts the life of early settlers.

I like the way she depicts the characters in her novels.

Recent Examples on the Web

Indeed, the vote depicted in Conclave is a highly choreographed affair involving pageantry, secret ballots — and plenty of backstabbing. —Eric Andersson, People.com, 26 Oct. 2024

Styled as Pac-Man, the figure is depicted on the verge of devouring a blue dot. —R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024

The award-winning documentarian has yet to voice her version of the events depicted in Nancy’s (Lesley Manville) book — her attempts repeatedly suppressed as others rush to judgment. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024

Related article The rise of the AI beauty pageant and its complicated quest for the ‘perfect’ woman The painting up for sale at Sotheby’s depicts Alan Turing, the English mathematician and Second World War cryptanalyst who is remembered as a pioneer in AI and computer science. —Carlie Porterfield, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin depictus, past participle of depingere, from de- + pingere to paint — more at paint

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

depict

verb

de·​pict di-ˈpikt 

1

: to represent by a picture

2

: to describe in words

depiction

-ˈpik-shən 

noun