telegenic

adjective

tele·​ge·​nic ˌte-lə-ˈje-nik How to pronounce telegenic (audio)
-ˈjē-
: well-suited to the medium of television
especially : having an appearance and manner that are markedly attractive to television viewers

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The History of Telegenic

Telegenic debuted in the 1930s, a melding of television with photogenic, “suitable for being photographed especially because of visual appeal.” The word photogenic had other, more technical meanings before it developed that one in the early decades of the 20th century, but the modern meaning led to the use of -genic of interest here: “suitable for production or reproduction by a given medium.” (That sense is also found in the rarer videogenic, a synonym of telegenic.) Telegenic may seem like a word that would primarily be used to describe people, but there is evidence of telegenic describing events (such as popular sports), objects, and responses. Occasionally, one even sees reference to a telegenic attitude, presence, charisma, or other intangible.

Examples of telegenic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Cooking segments are a staple of morning and daytime television, as telegenic chefs make picture-perfect looking dishes in a seemingly impossible short amount of time. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 17 Mar. 2023 Through late summer and into the fall of 2020, the relationship between Trump and Fauci deteriorated, but the president declined to sideline the telegenic doctor. Noah Rothman, National Review, 11 Jan. 2024 Bachmann, like Boebert, was a telegenic conservative female House member with a knack for drawing national attention. David Mark, Washington Examiner, 12 Jan. 2024 But does the telegenic governor’s very appearance on the national stage cause Democratic voters to long for a younger, robust alternative to the 81-year-old incumbent who looks frail? George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2023 But cracks quickly start to show in this telegenic facade. Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Nov. 2023 The telegenic 55-year-old won’t run even if aging President Biden, 80, does not. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023 Its telegenic young governor, Roberto Sandoval Castañeda, came to power in 2011 as a standard-bearer of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or P.R.I. The party, which dominated Mexican politics until 2000, still held Nayarit in a tight grip. Tim Golden, New York Times, 8 Dec. 2022 Global warming doesn’t do its damage in a single, telegenic explosion. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'telegenic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of telegenic was in 1936

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Dictionary Entries Near telegenic

Cite this Entry

“Telegenic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telegenic. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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