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

There are remnants of the resistance after the initial conflict, but Origins steadily switches gears to focus on its big three factions, led by depictions of historic figures Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian. —Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2025

But the mass murder and Jacob’s scalp are among the show’s most graphic depictions. —Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2025

The six episodes present a brutal, fascinating depiction of a culture and a country that has yet to overcome its most violent predilections. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Jan. 2025

The screenwriting possesses a simpler, black-and-white depiction of good and evil almost entirely absent from today’s nuanced moviemaking. —Michael Ashley, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above