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

Building a website, creating professional product imagery, testing ideas, and running marketing campaigns can all be done without agencies or large upfront expenses. —Alison Coleman, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Jewish groups and the Holocaust Museum condemned the remarks as trivializing genocide and abusing history, urging leaders to stop exploiting Holocaust imagery for political attacks. —Staff, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Frames can be stacked for merged clarity, and imagery further enhanced using third party editing software. —New Atlas, 29 Jan. 2026

The steady drumbeat of imagery out of Minnesota is persuading the last few persuadable voters that this deportation campaign has gone too far. —Arkansas Online, 28 Jan. 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