illustration

noun il·lus·tra·tion \ ˌi-lə-ˈstrā-shən also i-ˌlə- \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of illustration

1 a : the action of illustrating : the condition of being illustrated

b archaic : the action of making illustrious or honored or distinguished

2 : something that serves to illustrate: such as

a : an example or instance that helps make something clear

b : a picture or diagram that helps make something clear or attractive

—

illustrational

play \ˌi-lə-ˈstrā-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl also i-ˌlə-\ adjective

See illustration defined for English-language learners

See illustration defined for kids

Examples of illustration in a Sentence

The illustration on page 30 shows the parts of an engine.
a book with many photographs and illustrations
The illustrations that he provided in his speech were very effective.
They selected photographs to use for the illustration of the book.
Illustration is the key to good communication.

Recent Examples of illustration from the Web

Passed down, often wordlessly, from mother to daughter, the book provided women intimate insights into their own bodies and presented forbidden topics, from menstruation to masturbation, complete with illustrations.

— stephanie ebbert, BostonGlobe.com, "Chapter closes for ‘Our Bodies, Ourselves’," 5 Apr. 2018
Exhibition emphasizes strength of illustrations as visual narrative representations of African-American experience.

— luann gibbs, Cincinnati.com, "Fun and free events this weekend in Cincinnati," 4 Apr. 2018
In fact, some of the illustrations from her original letters are almost identical to what ended up in the book.

— meghan overdeep, Southern Living, "The Inspiring Story Behind The Tale of Peter Rabbit," 3 Apr. 2018
The gender-equity issue is one immediate illustration.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "How to Pay College Athletes Without Ruining NCAA Sports," 31 Mar. 2018
By contrast, the colours of the illustrations are brilliant, rich purples and blues that brighten the gloom of the monastery.

— The Economist, "Gospel truthsA symbolic struggle over ancient manuscripts," 22 Mar. 2018
By way of illustration, Moore spoke to the old-school premise that there are three kinds of players — those who need a kick in the rear, a pat on the butt or just to be left alone.

— vahe gregorian, kansascity, "After near-death fall, Ned Yost's gusto is what the Royals need in time of flux | The Kansas City Star," 22 Mar. 2018
O’Neill went on to have exhibitions of fine art illustrations – considered more serious art than Kewpies – in Paris and New York.

— adina solomon, Smithsonian, "The Prolific Illustrator Behind Kewpies Used Her Cartoons for Women’s Rights," 15 Mar. 2018
The technical mastery of Merry Eccles' photo collage illustration is remarkable.

— USA TODAY, "Arizona Republic, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel lead 2017 USA TODAY Network journalism awards," 7 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of illustration

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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illustration Synonyms

Synonyms

clarification, construction, elucidation, exegesis, explanation, explication, exposition, illumination, interpretation;

Related Words

paraphrase, restatement, translation;

annotation, comment, commentary, epexegesis, gloss;

deciphering, decoding;

disentanglement, unscrambling;

analysis;

edification, enlightenment;

definition, meaning;

demonstration, enactment;

justification, rationale, rationalization, reasoning;

caution, caveat, warning;

Synonym Discussion of illustration

instance, case, illustration, example, sample, specimen mean something that exhibits distinguishing characteristics in its category. instance applies to any individual person, act, or thing that may be offered to illustrate or explain.

- an instance of history repeating itself

case is used to direct attention to a real or assumed occurrence or situation that is to be considered, studied, or dealt with.

- a case of mistaken identity

illustration applies to an instance offered as a means of clarifying or illuminating a general statement.

- a telling illustration of Murphy's Law

example applies to a typical, representative, or illustrative instance or case.

- a typical example of bureaucratic waste

sample implies a part or unit taken at random from a larger whole and so presumed to be typical of its qualities.

- show us a sample of your work

specimen applies to any example or sample whether representative or merely existent and available.

- one of the finest specimens of the jeweler's art

ILLUSTRATION Defined for Kids

illustration

noun il·lus·tra·tion \ ˌi-lə-ˈstrā-shən \

Definition of illustration for Students

1 : a picture or diagram that explains or decorates

The dictionary has color illustrations.

2 : an example or instance used to make something clear

The speech included illustrations of his successes.

3 : the action of illustrating : the condition of being illustrated

He finished the illustration of the book.

Learn More about illustration

See words that rhyme with illustration Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for illustration Spanish Central: Translation of illustration Nglish: Translation of illustration for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of illustration for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about illustration

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illustration

Definition of illustration

illustrational

Examples of illustration in a Sentence

Recent Examples of illustration from the Web

First Known Use of illustration

illustration Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of illustration

ILLUSTRATION Defined for Kids

illustration

Definition of illustration for Students

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illustration

Definition of illustration

illustrational

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