depiction

American  

[dih-pik-shuhn] / dɪˈpɪk ʃən /

noun

• depictions
  plural

1. representation in image form, as in a painting or illustration.

   Picasso's painting Guernica is an accurate depiction of the horrors of war.

2. representation or characterization in words.

   Mark Twain's letters are a clear depiction of his life and times.

3. an act or instance of depicting.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• depictions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of depiction

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin dēpictiōn-, stem of dēpictiō “portrayal,” equivalent to dēpict(us), past participle of dēpingere “to portray” + -iō -ion ( def. )

Explanation

A depiction is a true representation of something, like the depiction of life as a Jewish teenager in hiding during World War II in Anne Frank's "The Diary of a Young Girl." The word depiction comes from the Latin word for "painting or description," depictionem. If a portrait really looks like you, it's a good depiction — the painter or photographer has done a great job. Another way to give a depiction of an experience is to tell or write about it in so much detail that it's like your audience is really there. Actors who portray real people work hard to make their depictions as true as they can.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

depiction depictions

Although the film is a somber examination of violence, it can also be dryly funny in its depiction of what Murashige must endure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

This is evident in the depiction of Kip, a Sikh man finding his way in the English world of colonialism.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

To his many critics, Mr. Nolan’s realization of Homer’s poem is almost as crass as my depiction of it as a soccer contest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Prosecutors allege that Matar was motivated by a fatwa that Ayatollah Khomeini, then leader of Iran, issued in 1989 following Rushdie's depiction of a fictionalized Prophet Muhammad in his novel "The Satanic Verses."

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Celaena left the window, but stopped before the tapestry and its depiction of Queen Elena.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

Posters for the new The Mummy film have been banned from the London Underground and other billboards after regulators said they included realistic depictions of a dead child.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

My favorite depictions of this city know its real history is too cuckoo to capture sincerely; straight reenactments make the production of 35mm masterpieces look as piddly as Shrinky Dinks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

The diary comics of interactions between stick-figure depictions of Wertz and her son, Felix, will resonate with anyone who has ever drowsed through days with a newborn.

From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026

A 2012 self-portrait shows a startled, wan Mr. Hockney unhappily staring at the viewer as if we’ve just interrupted a rare moment of peace; it’s a radical departure from his usually cheery depictions of himself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Béroud specialized in lovingly detailed depictions of the Louvre.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Related Words

• drawing
• illustration
• image
• likeness
• picture
• portrayal
• representation
• sketch