imagery

noun

im·ag·ery ˈi-mij-rē

-mi-jə-

plural imageries

: pictures produced by an imaging system

: the product of image makers : images

also : the art of making images

: figurative language

: 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 In December, when North Korea released black-and-white satellite photos of South Korean cities following a test launch, many experts said the imagery was too crude for surveillance purposes. —

Hyung-Jin Kim The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 23 Nov. 2023 The team mixed high-end Italian design with wall decor and imagery inspired by Africa—a nod to the owner of the travel company, who has traveled most of that continent. —

Rachel Dube, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2023 To reflect women’s clothing in the early ‘60s Leslie James used vintage imagery for inspiration for activists Ella Baker played by Audra McDonald, Coretta Scott King (Carra Patterson), and Anna Arnold Hedgeman (CCH Pounder). —

Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 18 Nov. 2023 From laugh-out-loud moments to chilling imagery, Palma’s novel reflects on the specters that haunt us — both real and metaphorical. —

Roxsy Lin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023 Google Street View imagery of the stretch that burned shows plenty of boxes and wooden pallets under the freeway, leaving little room for any large encampments. —

WIRED, 16 Nov. 2023 This requires access to robust geospatial data, imagery, and insights - like those offered by our Solar API. —

Yael Maguire, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 The pigments mixed with the water, yielding imagery that is soft and seemingly fluid. —

Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023 Sebastian currently leads Product Marketing for Pixel Camera at Google, working in close partnership with the Pixel Camera, Google Photos, Google AI engineering and research teams to help build and launch best-in-class imagery, editing and Generative AI to Google Pixel. —

Photovogue, Vogue, 6 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'imagery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of imagery was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century