1
a
: a picture (such as an engraving or photograph) that shades off gradually into the surrounding paper
b
: the pictorial part of a postage stamp design as distinguished from the frame and lettering
2
a
: a short descriptive literary sketch
b
: a brief incident or scene (as in a play or movie)
3
: a running ornament (as of vine leaves, tendrils, and grapes) put on or just before a title page or at the beginning or end of a chapter
also
: a small decorative design or picture so placed
vignetted; vignetting
1
: to finish (something, such as a photograph) like a vignette
2
: to describe briefly
vignetter
noun
Did you know?
The Connection Between Vignette and Vines
Vignette comes from the Middle French noun vigne, meaning "vine." In English, the word was first used in the early 17th century for a design or illustration that ran along the blank border of a page, or one that marked the beginning or end of a chapter. Such designs got their name because they often looked like little vines. It wasn't until the late 19th century that vignette began being used for a brief literary sketch or narrative.
Examples of vignette in a Sentence
Noun
The play's program features a little vignette about each member of the cast.
The film is a series of vignettes about living with cancer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2025
In such vignettes, nature is played off nature and made strange.
—Thomas Meaney, New Yorker, 2 July 2025
Ocean Vuong
october 1, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2019
There’s naturally vignetting wide open, but this is successfully removed by both types of lens corrections.
—James Abbott, Space.com, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for vignette
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Noun
The director and cinematographer Paulo Menezes capture these queries in colorful vignettes set against an urban backdrop that never feels touristy.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2025
In such vignettes, nature is played off nature and made strange.
—Thomas Meaney, New Yorker, 2 July 2025
Verb
In this way, the voice, the letter itself, became the main plot, the digressions in memory, cultural investigations, and vignettes its tributaries.
—Ocean Vuong
october 1, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2019
There’s naturally vignetting wide open, but this is successfully removed by both types of lens corrections.
—James Abbott, Space.com, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for vignette
Cite this Entry
“Vignette.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vignette. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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