iconography

noun

ico·​nog·​ra·​phy ˌī-kə-ˈnä-grə-fē 

plural iconographies

1

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

2

: pictorial material relating to or illustrating a subject

3

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

4

: iconology

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.

Examples of iconography in a Sentence

the iconography of the 1960s

Recent Examples on the Web

How much hip-hop iconography would be considered anti-American under this new regime of revisionist history? —Rodney Carmichael, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025

Bartlett Sher’s production combines the iconography of 1940s comic books with a mashup of classic cinema. —Justin Davidson, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025

Designs are inspired by Bad Bunny's iconography, featuring cultural symbols like pavas (traditional hats worn by rural sugarcane farmers) and Monobloc chairs seen in everyday Puerto Rican life in backyards across the island—and featured on the cover of Debí Tirar Más Fotos. —Cat Sposato, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025

Our first stop was Wat Plai Laem, a colorful, modern temple that blends Thai, Chinese, and Hindu iconography. —Raquel Reichard, Refinery29, 24 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin īconographia "making of images," borrowed from Greek eikonographía "sketch, description" (Late Greek, "making of images"), from eikono- icono- + -graphia -graphy

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for iconography

• bibliography
• choreography
• chromatography
• crystallography
• hagiography
• lexicography
• metallography
• myelography
• oceanography
• physiography
• plethysmography
• polarography