iconography

noun ico·nog·ra·phy \ ˌī-kə-ˈnä-grə-fē \

Definition of iconography

plural iconographies

1 :pictorial material relating to or illustrating a subject

2 :the traditional or conventional images or symbols associated with a subject and especially a religious or legendary subject

3 :the imagery or symbolism of a work of art, an artist, or a body of art

4 :iconology

See iconography defined for English-language learners

Examples of iconography in a Sentence

the iconography of the 1960s

Recent Examples of iconography from the Web

Parts of the old Soviet Union have established museums of Soviet iconography, gathering statues of Lenin and Stalin into new groupings to try and reflect history instead of USSR propaganda.

— peter grier, The Christian Science Monitor, "Confederate monuments: What to do with them?," 23 Aug. 2017
There is no set format or iconography, only an ideology — that of respecting women — as the primary goal.

— brian feldman, The Cut, "On the Web, Respecting Women Is a Full-time Job," 23 Aug. 2017
When the Nazi iconography was discovered this summer in Herxheim am Berg, some called for the bell's removal, others for its protection as a relic of a shameful national history.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "In German village, church bell still tolls for Hitler," 19 Aug. 2017
A great deal of Confederate iconography was not commissioned in remembrance of soldierly valor or mawkish depiction of genteel Dixie.

— andrew c. mccarthy, National Review, "On Charlottesville, Trump, and Anti-Americanism," 19 Aug. 2017
The iconography of its posters was unmistakably fascistic, with columns of marching Confederate soldiers in front of Nuremberg-style searchlights with eagles reminiscent of Reichsadler flying above.

— t.a. frank, The Hive, "Trump Is Ready to Go Down in Flames," 16 Aug. 2017
And if U.S. law allows people to display the iconography of hate, German law does not.

— simon shuster / berlin, Time, "How the Nazi Flags in Charlottesville Look to a German," 14 Aug. 2017
The push to remove or rethink them gained momentum two years ago, when Dylann Roof, who killed nine parishioners in a historic black church in Charleston, S.C., proved to have a fondness for Confederate iconography.

— the washington post, AL.com, "A police car damaged an Alabama Confederate monument and reopened a town's painful wounds," 20 July 2017
Below, in the earthly realm, at God's right hand (in keeping with traditional Last Judgement iconography) are assembled the great and the good, awaiting their entrance to Heaven/New Jerusalem.

— CNN, "Renaissance 'Book of Miracles' shows gruesome visions of the apocalypse," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'iconography.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

If you saw a 17th-century painting of a man writing at a desk with a lion at his feet, would you know you were looking at St. Jerome, translator of the Bible, who, according to legend, once pulled a thorn from the paw of a lion, which thereafter became his devoted friend? And if a painting showed a young woman reclining on a bed with a shower of gold descending on her, would you recognize her as Danaë, locked up in a tower to keep her away from the lustful Zeus, who then managed to gain access to her by transforming himself into golden light (or golden coins)? An iconographic approach to art can make museum-going a lot of fun—and amateur iconographers know there are also plenty of symbols lurking in the images that advertisers bombard us with daily.

Origin and Etymology of iconography

Medieval Latin iconographia, from Greek eikonographia sketch, description, from eikonographein to describe, from eikon- + graphein to write — more at carve

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1678

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Other Fine Arts Terms

Gothic, baroque, bas-relief, limn, oeuvre, pastiche, rococo, sfumato

ICONOGRAPHY Defined for English Language Learners

iconography

noun

Definition of iconography for English Language Learners

: the images or symbols related to something

Learn More about iconography

See words that rhyme with iconography Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about iconography

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iconography

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iconography

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