graphic

¹

[graf-ik]

adjective

1. giving a clear and effective picture; vivid.

   a graphic account of an earthquake.

   Synonyms: detailed, telling, striking

2. pertaining to the use of diagrams, graphs, mathematical curves, or the like; diagrammatic.

3. of, relating to, or expressed by writing.

   graphic symbols.

4. written, inscribed, or drawn.

5. depicted in a realistic or vivid manner.

   graphic sex and violence.

6. containing graphic descriptions.

   a graphic movie.

7. Geology.,  (of a rock) having a texture formed by the intergrowth of certain minerals so as to resemble written characters.

8. Mathematics.,  pertaining to the determination of values, solution of problems, etc., by direct measurement on diagrams instead of by ordinary calculations.

9. of or relating to the graphic arts.

noun

1. a product of the graphic arts, as a drawing or print.

2. a computer-generated image.

-graphic

²

1. a combination of -graph and -ic, forming adjectives corresponding to nouns ending in -graph:

   telegraphic.

graphic

/ ˈɡræfɪk /

adjective

1. vividly or clearly described

   a graphic account of the disaster

2. sexually explicit

3. of or relating to writing or other inscribed representations

   graphic symbols

4. maths using, relating to, or determined by a graph

   a graphic representation of the figures

5. of or relating to the graphic arts

6. geology having or denoting a texture formed by intergrowth of the crystals to resemble writing

   graphic granite

Other Word Forms

• graphically adverb
• graphicalness noun
• graphicness noun
• nongraphic adjective
• nongraphical adjective
• nongraphically adverb
• nongraphicalness noun
• ungraphic adjective
• ungraphical adjective
• ungraphically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of graphic¹

First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin graphicus “of painting or drawing,” from Greek graphikós “able to draw or paint,” equivalent to gráph(ein) “to draw, write” + -ikos -ic; cognate with carve

Word History and Origins

Origin of graphic¹

C17: from Latin graphicus, from Greek graphikos, from graphein to write; see _carve

Synonym Study

See picturesque.

Example Sentences

Husamettin Dogan, 44, had argued he was innocent, despite graphic video footage shown in court of him penetrating a motionless Gisèle Pelicot.

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James Adams, a 31-year-old graphic designer from Kingswood, said his girlfriend had asked him to cancel his subscription because they were saving for a wedding.

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Harris’s pictures have much the same subjects as those taken by the unidentified photographers, but they are composed better, and he used a professional Speed Graphic camera so they have more detail.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

At her trial, four women provided graphic testimony about how the financier sexually abused them while they were teenagers.

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He had been an artist and graphic designer.

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When To Use

What does -graphic mean?

The combining form -graphic is used like a suffix meaning “of or relating to something drawn or written," often to denote a recording of something. It is often used in scientific and technical terms.The combining form -graphic comes from a combination of two forms. The first is -graph, from Greek -graphos, meaning “drawn or written, one who draws or writes.” The second form is the suffix -ic, which denotes an adjective.What are variants of -graphic?While -graphic doesn't have any variants, it is related to the forms -graphy, as in telegraphy, as well as -graph, as in pictograph. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on -graphy and -graph.