mural

1 of 3

adjective

mu·​ral ˈmyu̇r-əl 

1

: of, relating to, or resembling a wall

2

: applied to and made integral with a wall or ceiling surface

mural

2 of 3

noun (1)

: a mural work of art (such as a painting)

muralist

ˈmyu̇r-ə-list 

noun

muralist

3 of 3

noun (2)

mu·​ral·​ist -lə̇st 

plural -s

: a painter of mural pictures or decorations

Did you know?

Any wall painting may be called a mural. Murals have been around since long before the framed painting. Scenic murals date back to at least 2000 B.C. on the island of Crete. Indoor murals for private homes were popular in ancient Greece and Rome, and many of those at Pompeii were preserved by the lava of Mt. Vesuvius. In the Renaissance the muralists Raphael and Michelangelo created great wall and ceiling paintings for the Catholic Church, and Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper became one of the most famous of all murals. Mural painting saw a great revival in Mexico beginning in the 1920s, when a group of muralists inspired by the Mexican Revolution, including Diego Rivera, J. C. Orozco, and D. A. Siqueiros, began taking their intensely political art to the public by creating giant wall paintings, sometimes on outdoor surfaces.

Examples of mural in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Some of the parents and even a grandparent helped, and the last mural character was added by Principal Juan de Dios Ramirez. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026

The new gallery is the brainchild of Antony Zito, portrait artist, mural painter, and former associate director of Parkville Art Gallery. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2026

Noun

Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Gina Ferazzi outside a mural in downtown Los Angeles. — Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026

In May, Hiram Johnson High School in Sacramento City Unified School District announced plans to remove a mural of an Indigenous man associated with its Warriors nickname — a decision urged by some members of the tribal community. — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin muralis, from murus wall — more at munition

First Known Use

Adjective

1561, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (1)

1908, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mural

• crural
• dural
• jural
• neural
• pleural
• plural
• rural
• sural
• extramural
• intramural
• intrapleural
• figural

Kids Definition

mural

1 of 2 adjective

mu·​ral ˈmyu̇r-əl 

1

: of or relating to a wall

2

: applied to and made part of a wall surface

a mural painting

mural

2 of 2 noun

: a mural work of art

Medical Definition

mural

adjective

mu·​ral ˈmyu̇r-əl 

: attached to and limited to a wall or a cavity

a mural thrombus

mural abscesses