depiction
Americannoun
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representation in image form, as in a painting or illustration.
Picasso's painting Guernica is an accurate depiction of the horrors of war.
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representation or characterization in words.
Mark Twain's letters are a clear depiction of his life and times.
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an act or instance of depicting.
Etymology
Origin of depiction
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin dēpictiōn-, stem of dēpictiō “portrayal,” equivalent to dēpict(us), past participle of dēpingere “to portray” + -iō -ion ( def. )
Explanation
A depiction is a true representation of something, like the depiction of life as a Jewish teenager in hiding during World War II in Anne Frank's "The Diary of a Young Girl." The word depiction comes from the Latin word for "painting or description," depictionem. If a portrait really looks like you, it's a good depiction — the painter or photographer has done a great job. Another way to give a depiction of an experience is to tell or write about it in so much detail that it's like your audience is really there. Actors who portray real people work hard to make their depictions as true as they can.
Vocabulary lists containing depiction
Content Summary G.1: Principles of Geography
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The Freedom Writers Diary
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 19
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Both venues are hosting Hockney's Eye: The Art and Technology of Depiction, with the Fitzwilliam showing a new self-portrait of the artist.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2022
The exhibition titled Hockney's Eye: The Art and Technology of Depiction will run until 29 August.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2022
Figure 12.16 Depiction of the McConnell Thrust in the eastern part of the Rockies.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
Figure 11.6 Depiction of stress changes related to an earthquake.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
Tearful, feverish, and scratching, she had to explain to her teacher why “Damp and Spooky: The Depiction of Grottos in Ominous Landscapes” would not be handed in on time.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
