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

Our dread is not dissimilar to the anxiety amongst our friends in the visual arts who see a similar threat in the DALL-E program that generated reams of imagery for people on social media this autumn. —Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026

An inspector general report after the test also noted problems with hardware, software, imagery, circuitry, batteries, launch debris and more. —Editorial, Boston Herald, 21 Jan. 2026

Carissa Baker, a Los Angeles native who is now an assistant professor of theme park and attraction management at the University of Central Florida, says that Fairyland created its own stamp on children’s architecture and fairy-tale imagery. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026

The posts’ invocation of language and imagery employed by historical and contemporary white supremacists could, in theory, be a series of unintentional coincidences. —Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 21 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