imagery

noun

im·​ag·​ery ˈi-mij-rē 

-mi-jə-

plural imageries

1

a

: pictures produced by an imaging system

imagery from the satellite

b

: the product of image makers : images

A host of computer animation tools … have made it easier to create, manipulate, and multiply imagery.

—Dike Blair et al.

also : the art of making images

2

: figurative language

a poem with biblical imagery

3

: mental images

especially : the products of imagination

Examples of imagery in a Sentence

The book contains a great deal of sexual imagery.

The movie was full of biblical imagery.

Recent Examples on the Web

What To Know Satellite imagery flagged by open-source analyst MT Anderson and captured by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellites shows the CNS Shandong and China’s second and third aircraft carriers, respectively, docked at Yulin. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025

The pic’s presentation in 70mm transforms that 35mm imagery into a more immersive, larger-scale experience. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 Nov. 2025

More violent imagery appeared near the University of Wisconsin-Madison late last week, mirroring similar imagery found on the public school's campus over a span of weeks, according to two students at the school. —Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 25 Nov. 2025

There was also a 15-person team of actors who were on set playing the flying monkeys, as well as some of the other animals, which were later rendered with digital imagery. —Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 24 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ymagerie "images portrayed in sculpture, painting, etc.," borrowed from Anglo-French, from ymage, image image entry 1 + -erie -ery

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing imagery

• satellite imagery

Kids Definition

imagery

noun

im·​ag·​ery ˈim-ij-(ə-)rē 

plural imageries

1

: images that can be seen or that are imagined

2

: language that suggests how someone or something looks, sounds, feels, smells, or tastes

Medical Definition

imagery

noun

im·​ag·​ery ˈim-ij-(ə-)rē 

plural imageries

: mental images

eidetic imagery

especially : the products of imagination

psychotic imagery