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pic·to·ri·al
pik-ˈtȯr-ē-əl 
pictorialness
noun
: a periodical having much pictorial matter
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Adjective
a pictorial record of the trip
that photojournalist is planning to do a primarily pictorial report on the famine in Africa
Recent Examples on the Web
Talia Abbas, Glamour, 18 Jan. 2023
Islamic art historians ask their students to compare these two paintings while encouraging them to slow down, look carefully, train their eyes to detect pictorial elements, and infer meaning.
—Christiane Gruber, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2023
One hundred years ago the Evening Tribune published this page as a pictorial review of the major news events of 1922.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2022
Instagram dropped images from Vanity Fair’s fashion pictorial with five drivers and Vanity Fair posted a charming interview with the guys to its YouTube channel.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 22 Mar. 2022
The photographer sets off these pictorial elements with dramatic skies, mostly dark but punctuated by backlighted clouds and, in one case, what appears to be a low-hanging moon.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 8 July 2022
This is slyly accomplished by—to describe a typical Smith collage—a small pictorial souvenir from popular culture coupled with a few typewritten words from, for example, a Raymond Chandler L.A. detective novel.
—Peter Plagens, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2022
Even a simple alphabet by the graffiti artist known as Worm is sensuously pictorial, since it’s rendered in bulbous, smeary and hot-colored letters.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2022
On a pictorial level, visually and rhythmically, the series is a pleasure.
—Mike Hale, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2022
Jeff Metcalfe, The Arizona Republic, 7 Aug. 2021
His direction emphasizes the pictorial over the physical.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 9 June 2021
Probert was not particularly fond of cats, but this pictorial appealed to him as an advertising logo.
—Brenda Yenke, cleveland, 9 Jan. 2020
The Wall preened for magazine pictorials and played the heavy in spy novels.
—Time, 8 Nov. 2019
As EW’s Marc Snetiker analyzed, the four pictorials probably represent either the four classical elements (water, earth, fire, air) or the four Gregorian seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter).
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 10 June 2019
Playboy temporarily stopped featuring nude pictorials in 2015.
—Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, 2 May 2018
See More
Adjective
And during the Renaissance, ornate, pictorial designs were considered markers of wealth for well-off Romans who splurged on the tiny luxuries of their time.
—Talia Abbas, Glamour, 18 Jan. 2023
Islamic art historians ask their students to compare these two paintings while encouraging them to slow down, look carefully, train their eyes to detect pictorial elements, and infer meaning.
—Christiane Gruber, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2023
One hundred years ago the Evening Tribune published this page as a pictorial review of the major news events of 1922.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2022
Instagram dropped images from Vanity Fair’s fashion pictorial with five drivers and Vanity Fair posted a charming interview with the guys to its YouTube channel.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 22 Mar. 2022
The photographer sets off these pictorial elements with dramatic skies, mostly dark but punctuated by backlighted clouds and, in one case, what appears to be a low-hanging moon.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 8 July 2022
This is slyly accomplished by—to describe a typical Smith collage—a small pictorial souvenir from popular culture coupled with a few typewritten words from, for example, a Raymond Chandler L.A. detective novel.
—Peter Plagens, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2022
Even a simple alphabet by the graffiti artist known as Worm is sensuously pictorial, since it’s rendered in bulbous, smeary and hot-colored letters.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2022
On a pictorial level, visually and rhythmically, the series is a pleasure.
—Mike Hale, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2022
Noun
Scrolling through Sisson's Instagram is now a loving pictorial of Arizona running, from the Valley canals up to Flagstaff and places in between.
—Jeff Metcalfe, The Arizona Republic, 7 Aug. 2021
His direction emphasizes the pictorial over the physical.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 9 June 2021
Probert was not particularly fond of cats, but this pictorial appealed to him as an advertising logo.
—Brenda Yenke, cleveland, 9 Jan. 2020
The Wall preened for magazine pictorials and played the heavy in spy novels.
—Time, 8 Nov. 2019
As EW’s Marc Snetiker analyzed, the four pictorials probably represent either the four classical elements (water, earth, fire, air) or the four Gregorian seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter).
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 10 June 2019
Playboy temporarily stopped featuring nude pictorials in 2015.
—Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, 2 May 2018
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pictorial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near pictorial
Cite this Entry
“Pictorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pictorial. Accessed 27 Jan. 2023.
More from Merriam-Webster on pictorial
Nglish: Translation of pictorial for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of pictorial for Arabic Speakers
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