as in portrait
a vivid representation in words of someone or something
the general's memoirs are filled with revealing vignettes of some of the war's most compelling personalities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to outline
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 vignette
Olivia Horn, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
Over that first act, however, the film also resists much narrative or thematic momentum, unfolding in glimpses and vignettes meant to underscore inertia and to emphasize production design.
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
Chris McMullen, Space.com, 4 July 2025
The idea is to fix any issues that your lens introduces, such as darkness around the edges (vignetting) or warped perspectives.
—PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for vignette
Noun
There’s something vital and deeply human in this vignette.
—Olivia Horn, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026
Over that first act, however, the film also resists much narrative or thematic momentum, unfolding in glimpses and vignettes meant to underscore inertia and to emphasize production design.
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
Some but not all have mentioned vignetting at full aperture, though going down a couple of stops vastly reduces it.
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 4 July 2025
The idea is to fix any issues that your lens introduces, such as darkness around the edges (vignetting) or warped perspectives.
—PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for vignette
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vignette
Noun
-
Even though Khamenei's father is dead, an account with his portrait was active on Thursday, mainly reposting messages from his son.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
What emerges is a portrait of Stanton not as a paragon of feminism but as a deeply peculiar person—one whose combination of vision and hubris happened to change history.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Organizers have yet to outline departure arrangements for the players, who traveled to Australia only days before the US-Israeli war against Iran erupted.—
Swati Pandey,
Bloomberg,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The Arcadis report finds an impenetrable surface cover outlined in the next option, Alternative 5, to be unfeasible due to the site’s topography and other floodplain issues.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
During the police investigation, San Francisco Sheriff's deputies were in the area and found a possible suspect matching the description about a few blocks away on Powell Street and detained the subject, police said.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Nine bones carrying the full weight of a species description.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For now, the blog post hints that the merger will leave GFiber in a better financial situation.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
12 Mar. 2026
-
After months of hinting about it, the mayor revealed where a new MLB stadium would be built.—
LeBron Hill,
Sacbee.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Phil Chan’s organization Final Bow for Yellowface has worked to end the practice of Yellowface in America’s most popular ballet, The Nutcracker, and bring authentic depictions of Asian culture to ballet stages.—
Chloe Angyal,
Time,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The narrative has gained influence in technology circles for its depiction of incremental rather than sudden transformation.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In their best moments, the filmmakers frame Shahverdi as an icon, sitting astride her motorcycle on a hilltop, silhouetted by the setting sun.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Adding a wonderful touch is that of foley artist Liam Sullivan, who can be seen silhouetted behind a screen creating an in-the-moment soundtrack of gunshots, ringing phones, squeaking doors, kissing, bird calls and more.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But his candid portrayal of challenges and tech goals on Thursday was far more measured in tone.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Sporting Robert Shaw’s distinctive fisherman’s cap, flinty and crooked grin, and swarthy mutton-chop sideburns, Gildart Jackson’s is an evocative portrayal of Robert Shaw.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Final thoughts If nothing else, Friday’s roundtable summarized the headwinds college sports are confronting and the various self-interests, egos and competing voices that make solutions so hard to come by.—
Nicki Jhabvala,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Amazon Connect Health can generate notes from live conversations between doctors and patients; add billing, symptom and procedure codes; and summarize health data from existing medical records.—
Matt Day,
Bloomberg,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vignette.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vignette. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
