diorama

noun

di·​ora·​ma ˌdī-ə-ˈra-mə  -ˈrä- 

1

: a scenic representation in which a partly translucent painting is seen from a distance through an opening

2

a

: a scenic representation in which sculptured figures and lifelike details are displayed usually in miniature so as to blend indistinguishably with a realistic painted background

b

: a life-size exhibit (as of a wildlife specimen or scene) with realistic natural surroundings and a painted background

dioramic

ˌdī-ə-ˈra-mik 

-ˈrä-

adjective

Examples of diorama in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2022, Henry’s 1983 diorama The Studio Visit, featuring a doll version giving a white critic a tour of her workspace, featured in a Museum of Modern Art show about Just Above Midtown, the iconic New York gallery founded by Linda Goode Bryant where Henry showed and worked. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 18 Dec. 2024

Groovy and cosmic disco vibes will accompany each room’s diorama, with soundscapes curated by Nicky Nighttime and Michelle Leshem. —Lilian Raji, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024

Yet Chas and his squirrelly fury disrupt Anderson’s normal diorama. —Sean Malin, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024

Their story is told through artifacts, photos, film, and dioramas at the Busan Modern History Museum, located about a half-hour walk from Yeongdo in a modernist building first erected by the colonizing Japanese. —Peggy Orenstein, AFAR Media, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from dia- + -orama (as in panorama, from English)

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

diorama

noun

di·​o·​rama

ˌdī-ə-ˈram-ə,

-ˈräm-

: a scenic representation in which lifelike sculptured figures and surrounding details are realistically set against a painted background