visual literacy

noun

: the ability to recognize and understand ideas conveyed through visible actions or images (such as pictures)

Examples of visual literacy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Though mired in various controversies, monumental digital shifts have reshaped essential functions of libraries, compounding typographic and visual literacy with digital literacy as essential concerns. Maria Papadouris, JSTOR Daily, 21 Aug. 2025 Market also put the spotlight on the urgent topic of visual literacy. Nargess Banks, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025 The program promotes visual literacy, knowledge sharing, and the discovery of new talent. Photovogue, Vogue, 29 Jan. 2025 This distortion field is now being amplified by artificial intelligence, placing unprecedented demands on our collective visual literacy. Glenn Adamson, ARTnews.com, 16 Dec. 2024 Their guru is Edward R. Tufte, a statistician, Yale professor, and author of several influential books on analytical design and visual literacy, most notably The Visual Display of Quantitative Information and Envisioning Information. IEEE Spectrum, 30 Jan. 2012

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of visual literacy was in 1971

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Cite this Entry

“Visual literacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/visual%20literacy. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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