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

After the film was shot, producers uncovered a clause in the settlement with the accuser that barred the depiction or mention of them in film or TV projects. —Jack Dunn, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026

The clause prevented any mention or depiction of him in any movie. —Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026

Producers found a clause in the singer's $25-million settlement that barred the depiction or mention of the accuser in film or television, causing the entire third act of the movie to be cut, per Variety. —Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026

Hepting, who has since retired from her post at the county, disputed Simasko’s depiction of her motivations in a message to ProPublica. —Anna Clark, ProPublica, 24 Apr. 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