Synonyms of picturesque

picturesque

adjective

ˌpik-chə-ˈresk 

as in vivid

producing a mental picture through clear and impressive description

wrote a picturesque tale of their journey across the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

• vivid
• graphical
• graphic
• descriptive
• specific
• expressive
• pictorial
• visual
• delineated
• depicted
• realistic
• explicit
• photographic
• concrete
• fresh
• natural
• faithful
• lifelike
• sharp
• incisive

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obscure
• vague
• sketchy
• unclear
• indeterminate
• nebulous
• dark
• shadowy
• muddy
• foggy
• faint
• hazy
• indistinct
• dim
• fuzzy
• indefinite
• murky
• blurry
• indistinguishable
• mysterious
• ambiguous
• enigmatic
• bleary
• inscrutable
• cryptic
• equivocal
• shadowlike
• enigmatical

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective picturesque differ from other similar words?

The words graphic and vivid are common synonyms of picturesque. While all three words mean "giving a clear visual impression in words," picturesque suggests the presentation of a striking or effective picture composed of features notable for their distinctness and charm.

a picturesque account of his travels

When could graphic be used to replace picturesque?

In some situations, the words graphic and picturesque are roughly equivalent. However, graphic stresses the evoking of a clear lifelike picture.

a graphic account of combat

When is it sensible to use vivid instead of picturesque?

The synonyms vivid and picturesque are sometimes interchangeable, but vivid suggests an impressing on the mind of the vigorous aliveness of something.

a vivid re-creation of an exciting event

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of picturesque

These Guys Brewing at American Wharf 1 of 7 These Guys Brewing Company has expanded into a restaurant, situated on the picturesque Thames River in the heart of Norwich. —Blaine Callahan, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2025

Television reporters, newly arrived from Delhi, set up cameras on the picturesque shoreline of Dal Lake and dutifully repeated the government’s line. —Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025

Flowers, notes, candles, and other items were placed neatly in two rows down a sidewalk among the oak trees and Spanish moss, a defining beauty mark on FSU's picturesque campus. —Kati Weis, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2025

Your proposal doesn’t have to be on a hot air balloon in Paris or a picturesque beach in the Maldives—unless your person has explicitly expressed that preference and that fits your budget. —Boutayna Chokrane, Vogue, 20 Apr. 2025