pictograph

noun

pic·to·graph ˈpik-tə-ˌgraf

Synonyms of pictograph next

: an ancient or prehistoric drawing or painting on a rock wall

: one of the symbols belonging to a pictorial graphic system

: a diagram representing statistical data by pictorial forms

pictographic

ˌpik-tə-ˈgra-fik

adjective

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Knowing that the Huichol associated black and red with the underworld, Boyd believed this pictograph represented the watery underworld in the West, from which the first humans emerged. —

Will Hunt, Discover Magazine, 23 July 2012 Humans have hunted, farmed and lived in Glen Canyon for millennia, building multistory cliff dwellings, crafting intricate petroglyph and pictograph panels, and leaving the remains of irrigation systems. —

Zak Podmore, The Salt Lake Tribune, 24 Oct. 2022 For an overnight trip, take the 22-mile Painted Cave trail, which features a pictograph panel. —

Outside Online, 15 Sep. 2022 The emoji really isn’t a modern concept, simply a pictograph rendered in a digital form. —

Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 27 Apr. 2022 In the 1970s Kohlmeyer developed a style of multihued pictographs, usually organized on a grid. —

Roberta Smith, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2020 The new emoji include useful pictographs such as a ninja, disguised face, polar bear, bubble tea, pickup truck, toothbrush, military helmet, two people hugging, and pinched fingers (also known as the Italian hand gesture). —

cleveland, 30 Jan. 2020 The collection’s core design features a cave art-like pictograph of a long-necked water bird facing the spirit of a roaring panther with a fish over the source spring of the San Antonio River. —

René A. Guzman, ExpressNews.com, 6 Jan. 2020 Before me were crude drawings, pictographs painted on the walls of the shallow cave by ancient civilizations that occupied this place thousands of years ago. —

San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Oct. 2019 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pictograph.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.