imagery

American  

[im-ij-ree, im-i-juh-ree] / ˈɪm ɪdʒ ri, ˈɪm ɪ dʒə ri /

noun

imageries plural

1. the formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things, or of such images collectively.

   the dim imagery of a dream.

2. pictorial images, as in works of art.

3. the use of rhetorical images.

4. figurative description or illustration; rhetorical images collectively.

5. Psychology. mental images collectively, especially those produced by the action of imagination.

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imagery British  

/ ˈɪmɪdʒrɪ, -dʒərɪ /

noun

1. figurative or descriptive language in a literary work

2. images collectively

3. psychol

   1. the materials or general processes of the imagination

   2. the characteristic kind of mental images formed by a particular individual See also image imagination

4. military the presentation of objects reproduced photographically (by infrared or electronic means) as prints or electronic displays

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imagery Cultural  

1. The mental pictures created by a piece of writing: “The imagery of “The Waste Land” — crumbling towers, dried-up wells, toppled tombstones — conveys the author's sense of a civilization in decay.”

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• imagerially
  adverb
• imagerial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• imageries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of imagery

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English imagerie, from Old French, equivalent to image + -ery

Explanation

Picture this: imagery is a noun to describe the way things or ideas seem in your mind or in art or literature. Imagery comes from image and originally referred to physical things like statues. Now it is more often used of an artist's or writer's depictions ("Shakespeare's imagery shows a wide knowledge of the world") or of the pictures of the world in someone's mind. Think of imagery as being the stockpile of your imagination. If the imagery in your dreams is a little scary, it might be time to stop eating those spicy meatball sandwiches right before bedtime.

Example Sentences

Imagery is then linked to ship identities for closer tracking and potential action, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

Imagery and analysis captured on Friday by Umbra Space reveals damage to several parts of a missile complex near the city of Tabriz in north-western Iran.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2025

To view past images, click the View tab and then Historical Imagery or click on a small clock icon above the 3D Viewer.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2024

The Anatomy Video and Imagery Diversity Project builds on similar efforts, meant to counterbalance medical textbooks that largely show white people.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 10, 2024

Tests for Visual Imagery Go into a quiet room, close your eyes and try to bar from your mind every distraction.

From Power of Mental Imagery Being the Fifth of a Series of Twelve Volumes on the Applications of Psychology to the Problems of Personal and Business Efficiency by Hilton, Warren

Related Words

• symbolism