diorama

noun

di·​ora·​ma ˌdī-ə-ˈra-mə  -ˈrä- 

1

: a scenic representation in which a partly translucent painting is seen from a distance through an opening

2

a

: a scenic representation in which sculptured figures and lifelike details are displayed usually in miniature so as to blend indistinguishably with a realistic painted background

b

: a life-size exhibit (as of a wildlife specimen or scene) with realistic natural surroundings and a painted background

dioramic

ˌdī-ə-ˈra-mik 

-ˈrä-

adjective

Examples of diorama in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Letter Carrier, set in the difficult decades before and after WWII, is a lush diorama of a village in flux. —Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025

Visitors are greeted with a diorama depicting children and dinosaurs interacting peacefully in the Garden of Eden. —Peter Smith, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2025

Some people create their scenes in diorama boxes, but this is not required. —Molly Guthrey, Twin Cities, 20 Mar. 2025

Haraway ultimately reads the diorama as an expression of the anxieties of white male masculinity in the face of industrialization and racial mixing. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from dia- + -orama (as in panorama, from English)

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for diorama

• panorama
• trichogramma
• gamma
• grama
• gramma

Kids Definition

diorama

noun

di·​o·​rama

ˌdī-ə-ˈram-ə,

-ˈräm-

: a scenic representation in which lifelike sculptured figures and surrounding details are realistically set against a painted background