imagery

noun

im·​ag·​ery ˈi-mij-rē 

-mi-jə-

plural imageries

1

a

: pictures produced by an imaging system

imagery from the satellite

b

: the product of image makers : images

A host of computer animation tools … have made it easier to create, manipulate, and multiply imagery.

—Dike Blair et al.

also : the art of making images

2

: figurative language

a poem with biblical imagery

3

: mental images

especially : the products of imagination

Examples of imagery in a Sentence

The book contains a great deal of sexual imagery.

The movie was full of biblical imagery.

Recent Examples on the Web

Satellite imagery of the Imam Ali Missile Base in Khorramabad, captured on January 5, shows that of the dozen structures destroyed by Israel, three have been rebuilt, one has been repaired while three others are currently under construction. —Farida Elsebai, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026

The bold colors and the imagery − from indigenous symbols such as the Aztec calendar, pyramids, deity Quetzalcoatl and Olmec colossal heads to depictions of the Virgin Mary, Emiliano Zapata, Cesar Chavez and migrant fieldworkers − captivated him. —Andrés Soto, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026

Plenty of songs, though, bank on the latent heaviness of goth imagery to charge up a scene. —Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 19 Feb. 2026

But one exhibit opening Thursday in San Francisco features imagery born from the rebellion of the Black Panthers, thanks to a local man who created a whole new form of Revolutionary Art. —John Ramos, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ymagerie "images portrayed in sculpture, painting, etc.," borrowed from Anglo-French, from ymage, image image entry 1 + -erie -ery

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing imagery

• satellite imagery

Kids Definition

imagery

noun

im·​ag·​ery ˈim-ij-(ə-)rē 

plural imageries

1

: images that can be seen or that are imagined

2

: language that suggests how someone or something looks, sounds, feels, smells, or tastes

Medical Definition

imagery

noun

im·​ag·​ery ˈim-ij-(ə-)rē 

plural imageries

: mental images

eidetic imagery

especially : the products of imagination

psychotic imagery