depiction

noun

de·​pic·​tion di-ˈpik-shən 

dē-

plural depictions

: a representation in words or images of someone or something

The book is fascinating in its depiction of the country's early history.

The first part of the book … is a depiction of the nearly lost world of a North American hunter-gatherer community.

—Timothy Egan

The late Vermont artist Stephen Huneck made works that are instantly recognizable—bright, accessible, folky depictions of dogs enjoying themselves.

—James Heflin

By comparison with the depiction of domesticity in such 1950s staples as The Donna Reed Show and Ozzie and Harriet, the portrait of family life on The Dick Van Dyke Show, the emblematic sitcom of the early 1960s, seemed staggering in its sheer smartness and casual elegance.

—Bruce Bawer

Synonyms

• definition
• delineation
• description
• picture
• portrait
• portraiture
• portrayal
• rendering
• sketch
• vignette

Examples of depiction in a Sentence

the set piece of the novel is a depiction of the battle that makes readers feel like they were there

Recent Examples on the Web

Some have said the film is a poor depiction of the trans community. —Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 7 Feb. 2025

The depiction of the two swans has been both an enigma and a source of inspiration for artists. —Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 3 Feb. 2025

Over the last two seasons, the audience got to witness Leighton’s journey, including perhaps one of the most honest depictions of coming out as a young person in the 2020s. —Ana Osorno, Them, 31 Jan. 2025

The show is a character study, a time capsule, a depiction of the clash of cultures when those who live and work to serve meet the roving one percent who believe that being tended to is their birthright—and all of this is set against some of the most stunning landscapes on earth. —Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 31 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above