depicted
Americanadjective
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represented by or as if by painting or other visual image; portrayed.
The viewer of this striking painting is lured into the possible narrative of the depicted figure by her beauty, strength, and grace.
-
represented or characterized in words.
Subtle cues in the text indicate the tone or stance the author is taking towards the depicted events.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of depicted
Explanation
If your brother is depicted as a couch potato in your autobiographical novel, it means that you described him in a certain way, so that he came across as a lazy TV watcher. The adjective depicted means "shown or represented." A person or thing can be depicted in a particular way through a description, a drawing, a photograph, or any other artistic medium. Whenever a vivid picture of something — like life in Victorian England — is presented, that thing is being depicted. The Latin root depictus comes from the prefix de, meaning "down," and pingere, "to paint," and it means "to portray, paint, sketch or imagine."
Vocabulary lists containing depicted
Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
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The Last Beekeeper
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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.
But her "deep concern and understanding" for mothers depicted in the official records is in stark contrast to testimony the BBC has heard, describing her as cruel and fixated on punishment.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
Nathaniel Dance, whose style was influenced by studies in Rome, depicted Frederick, Lord North—the prime minister who bungled America policy on the king’s behalf—in double-chinned, robes-of-state splendor in 1773-74.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026
One of the videos he shared depicted him playing soccer with Cristiano Ronaldo in the Oval Office.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
The Loman family home isn’t depicted in a literal fashion but instead fluidly suggested in a warehouse space that allows the actors to move unfetteredly between past and present.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
This type of child is perfectly depicted in the classic 1950s film The Bad Seed, based on the novel by William March.
From "Allegedly" by Tiffany D. Jackson
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.
