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Synonyms

scenery

American  
[see-nuh-ree] / ˈsi nə ri /

noun

  • sceneries
    plural
  1. the general appearance of a place; the aggregate of features that give character to a landscape.

    Synonyms:
    view, terrain
  2. hangings, draperies, structures, etc., used on a stage to represent a locale or furnish decorative background.


idioms

  1. chew the scenery, to act melodramatically; overact.

scenery British  
/ ˈsiːnərɪ /

noun

  1. the natural features of a landscape

  2. theatre the painted backcloths, stage structures, etc, used to represent a location in a theatre or studio

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of scenery

First recorded in 1740–50; scene + -ery

Explanation

Scenery is a word for how a place looks, especially a beautiful, outdoorsy place. Also, scenery is fake background in a play. If you go to a place with mountains, and beautiful trees, and gorgeous skies, then it's got great scenery. Scenery is the stuff you can look at outside. If a place is plain, ugly, or desolate, you might say, "Not much scenery." Also, painters and set designers create scenery for plays. In theater, scenery could represent anything: buildings, trees, or the inside of a house. If a play has a lot of different settings, then it needs a lot of scenery.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing scenery

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.

See Examples For:

With all that in my backyard, Hayao Miyazaki’s verdant scenery teeming with ancient trees did not look so foreign.

From Salon Jul. 22, 2026

The ocean scenery is fake; the wooden splinters are real.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 9, 2026

Now the scenery shifts to Mexico City and the hothouse of the iconic Azteca Stadium.

From BBC Jul. 1, 2026

“I thought American Fork was awesome!” he wrote to a reporter, praising the friendly people and the beautiful scenery.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 26, 2026

The babies were at the age when they could sit up quite well and enjoy the scenery.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

The art works - two dark rural sceneries drawn on brown paper - were authenticated by the Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation, which holds the rights on the late painter's works, police said.

From Reuters Feb. 17, 2023

While Cirillo’s strength may, at first glance, appear to be his skillful use of unusual but luminous colors, his brilliance is in the range of emotions he is able to evoke with fabricated sceneries.

From New York Times Jul. 14, 2021

"I thought I'd come to the cinema to show support. But to my disappointment, I didn't see much gay love. I only saw natural sceneries," commented one Weibo user.

From BBC May 9, 2018

"The event aims to showcase the many natural sceneries we have in Oman," says Saif bin Suba'a Al Rashaidi , director general of the Muscat municipality.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 23, 2010

New cathedrals there are, new forests, fringed and blossoming, new sceneries, and new races of extinct animals.

From Choice Specimens of American Literature, and Literary Reader Being Selections from the Chief American Writers by Benj. N. Martin

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