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

The play’s depiction of extrajudicial killing and out-of-control military leadership resonate with Whitford. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026

In fact, the book’s depiction of Nick’s friendship and burgeoning relationship with Daisy’s golf-loving best friend Jordan Baker is upgraded to a torrid romance with its own love song and bedroom scenes that match Daisy’s and Gatsby’s. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 Oct. 2026

The cumulative effect of the bowl’s ambient violence (robbery, assault, and overdose abound) amounts to an open-air despair not unlike Fox News-style depictions of California as a wholesale war zone. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026

But in Zoe Kazan’s version, those diminishments let Lee become the new core of the show’s depiction of purpose and responsibility. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Oct. 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