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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:

The Scottish writer would certainly have been surprised to see David Oyelowo playing Long John Silver, which is one of the six-part series’ better innovations, despite Mr. Oyelowo chewing the scenery like hardtack.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

It will also feature a lazy river that floats past scenery inspired by Mattel Games, including UNO, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, and Magic 8 Ball.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Your third option is renting out your home for a change of scenery.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

So enjoying Albania's beaches and scenery was very much part of the attraction of getting his teeth fixed here.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

It makes you want to choose the characters, build the scenery, guide the plot.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan

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

Think of the little sceneries scattered through his piano music, particularly in his Years of Pilgrimage; or of the storm and stress of the Dante Sonata.

From Franz Liszt by James Huneker

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