cinematic

[sin-uh-mat-ik]

adjective

1. having to do with movies, as either an industry or an art form.

   The book explores Andy Warhol's cinematic work, focusing on ten films in detail.

2. (of a movie) showing a high level of artistry; grand and visually impressive.

   This film is filled with sweeping, cinematic shots of the surrounding countryside, to the point where the setting almost becomes a third character.

3. having qualities or using techniques associated with good movies, such as drama, emotional intensity, visual or sonic artistry, epic narrative, etc..

   Poetic and strikingly cinematic, her exquisitely written novel illuminates the strange tightrope we are all walking in the radically altered landscape post-9/11.

noun

1. (in a video game) a short video or scripted event scene between stages of interactive play, often to introduce a new level, develop a character, or advance the plot.

   This year's NHL game has a lot of the same animations, cinematics between faceoffs, commentary tracks, and graphics.

Other Word Forms

• cinematically adverb
• uncinematic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cinematic¹

cinemat(ograph) ( def. ) + -ic

Example Sentences

It honors their enthusiasm, protects your kitchen equilibrium, and keeps the day humming along with the kind of gentle, slightly cinematic glow that makes Thanksgiving feel like Thanksgiving.

Read more on Salon

“Out of Plain Sight” strives to be more cinematically alive than the standard talking-head-laden documentary.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It’s one of many smart, rueful asides in what amounts to a nonjudgmental cinematic essay on the increasingly atomized nature of contemporary living.

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Fresher in my mind are more recent cinematic explorations of the material and characters.

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It went on to win two Oscars and two Baftas, for costume and production design, as well as the cinematic and box office achievement prize at the Golden Globes.

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Related Words

• pictorial 
• visual 
• vivid