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

Omni will work in Flash, the Gemini App, Google Flow and YouTube shorts, supporting image and audio, the company said, adding in a separate blog post that users can make Omni edit videos and create more realistic imagery. —Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 19 May 2026

To add imagery to match Lennon's conversation, Soderbergh used Meta's AI programs to create surreal graphics. —ABC News, 18 May 2026

No one on the ground was injured, but the reentering pieces of Starship made for powerful imagery, and not in a good way for the company. —ArsTechnica, 18 May 2026

The team set out to validate the seeker’s ability to capture imagery, process signals onboard and maintain target tracking. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 May 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