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as in example
one of a group or collection that shows what the whole is like chose one essay as an illustration of the high quality of the collection

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word illustration distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of illustration are case, example, instance, sample, and specimen. While all these words mean "something that exhibits distinguishing characteristics in its category," illustration applies to an instance offered as a means of clarifying or illuminating a general statement.

a telling illustration of Murphy's Law

Where would case be a reasonable alternative to illustration?

The meanings of case and illustration largely overlap; however, case is used to direct attention to a real or assumed occurrence or situation that is to be considered, studied, or dealt with.

a case of mistaken identity

When could example be used to replace illustration?

In some situations, the words example and illustration are roughly equivalent. However, example applies to a typical, representative, or illustrative instance or case.

a typical example of bureaucratic waste

When would instance be a good substitute for illustration?

While the synonyms instance and illustration are close in meaning, instance applies to any individual person, act, or thing that may be offered to illustrate or explain.

an instance of history repeating itself

In what contexts can sample take the place of illustration?

The words sample and illustration can be used in similar contexts, but sample implies a part or unit taken at random from a larger whole and so presumed to be typical of its qualities.

show us a sample of your work

When might specimen be a better fit than illustration?

While in some cases nearly identical to illustration, specimen applies to any example or sample whether representative or merely existent and available.

one of the finest specimens of the jeweler's art

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of illustration Over time, young children begin to understand a picture book’s storylines and illustrations more deeply. Sarah Lindenfeld Hall, Popular Science, 11 June 2025 The home screen consists of large icons that are well-labeled and easily distinguished from each other by both color and illustration. PC Magazine, 11 June 2025 Takei hopes his graphic memoir – with bright colors and engaging illustrations by Harmony Becker, Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott – will reach audiences young and old. Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 11 June 2025 These areas include the Art of pop up, magic of metamorphosis, fur feathers or scales, science at the shore, wildlife illustration, bugs, caves rock and beginner birding. Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for illustration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illustration
Noun
  • Documents requested include information about voting machines; voter rolls; software; software updates; hardware, including forensic-grade copies of hard drives; diagrams of all equipment, including network and Wi-Fi components; and flash drives that carry election results.
    Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
  • When Did Mammals Begin to Thrive? Mesozoic era diagram with Morganucodon.
    Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 16 June 2025
Noun
  • However, without explanation, the company withdrew the bid protest four days later on July 1.
    Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2025
  • But in its most simple explanation, the Chiefs trick people.
    Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 21 June 2025
Noun
  • From his first girlfriend, living in his London apartment with his Jamaican parents, to moments at the house of ill fame and the tribulations of being a Bronx landlord, observers are offered a realistic depiction of Slick Rick’s journey to legend.
    Ime Ekpo, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
  • It was made to provide a true depiction of what was happening at the time.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 17 June 2025
Noun
  • The first of those, for example, is July 9, when dates for the opening six rounds of the campaign will be locked in.
    Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 18 June 2025
  • On Medicaid, for example, some centrist House Republicans are griping about the upper chamber’s decision to cap provider taxes at 3.5 percent by 2031 — a decrease from the current 6 percent — for states that expanded the social safety net program under the Affordable Care Act.
    Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 18 June 2025
Noun
  • When the investment costs more than the return Over time, those mitigations have degraded graphics processing performance by as much as 20 percent, a member of the Ubuntu development team recently reported.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 25 June 2025
  • After all, Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs) are a key driver of the AI revolution.
    Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • Thomas' interpretation and feelings toward the 150-year-old law have been conveyed numerous times in past Court decisions.
    Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
  • Analyzing the president’s motivations became the continent’s favorite parlor game, because the appropriate response to him would depend on which interpretation one favored.
    Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
Noun
  • Fordow, Iran's underground nuclear enrichment site, was pictured in satellite images showing from a bird's-eye view that the strike had obliterated some structures at the site.
    Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2025
  • This infographic with satellite image from Planet Labs PBC from March 19, 2025, showing the Fordow nuclear site, in Iran.
    Carlo Versano Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 June 2025
Noun
  • Combining two facets of the school’s core identities of text — through visuals, culture and conceptualization and texture — with the material quality of surface, the show embodied the duality of innovation and tradition, concept and craftsmanship and design and matter.
    Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 20 June 2025
  • The visual of Ship 36 going up in flames harkens back to those previous explosions, along with the fiery demise of a Falcon 9 rocket on its launch pad in 2016 under circumstances similar to Wednesday night's incident.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 19 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Illustration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illustration. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

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