photogenic

adjective

pho·​to·​ge·​nic ˌfō-tə-ˈje-nik  -ˈjē- 

1

: produced or precipitated by light

photogenic dermatitis

2

: producing or generating light : phosphorescent

photogenic bacteria

3

: suitable for being photographed especially because of visual appeal

a photogenic smile

photogenically

ˌfō-tə-ˈje-ni-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈjē-

adverb

Examples of photogenic in a Sentence

She's a very photogenic child.

This is the city's most photogenic park.

Recent Examples on the Web

From the city, hop a 45-minute local bus to Kinsale, a photogenic harbor town where the food scene doesn’t need to shout. —Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Mar. 2026

Luckily, the protagonist is a young man with a moving and complicated backstory and a photogenic, wonky-toothed smile. —Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026

Here was a photogenic boy-girl duo with two wonderfully wubby albums, a vague air of disaffected cool, and a very active Instagram account. —Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 17 Mar. 2026

The colorful streets of Old San Juan are walkable and endlessly photogenic, offering a rich sense of history and character around every corner. —Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for photogenic

• allergenic
• androgenic
• antigenic
• authigenic
• autogenic
• biogenic
• bronchogenic
• chromogenic
• cryogenic
• echogenic
• estrogenic
• isogenic

Kids Definition

photogenic

adjective

pho·​to·​ge·​nic ˌfōt-ə-ˈjen-ik  -ˈjēn- 

: suitable for being photographed : likely to photograph well

a photogenic child

photogenically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

photogenic

adjective

pho·​to·​gen·​ic ˌfōt-ə-ˈjen-ik 

1

: produced or precipitated by light

photogenic epilepsy

photogenic dermatitis

2

: producing or generating light : phosphorescent

photogenic bacteria