depiction

noun

de·​pic·​tion di-ˈpik-shən How to pronounce depiction (audio)
dē-
plural depictions
Synonyms of depictionnext
: 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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But only Buffy took breaks from those ramp-ups to have fun with its magically elastic world, in haunting silent episodes and delightful musicals, or cut the high-body-count fantasy with jarringly realistic depictions of grief. Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025 Seeing things like this, that are depictions ultimately of male vulnerability, can be very refreshing. Hunter Ingram, Variety, 26 Dec. 2025 The movies tend to do better in depicting agony over ecstasy, but The Testament of Ann Lee drops a potent depiction of the latter early on. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2025 The film never veers into parable, and Lee’s reputation as a prophet is only interesting because of Fastvold’s careful depiction of her as a human. Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for depiction

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of depiction was in 1688

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Depiction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depiction. Accessed 29 Dec. 2025.

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