depiction
Americannoun
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representation in image form, as in a painting or illustration.
Picasso's painting Guernica is an accurate depiction of the horrors of war.
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representation or characterization in words.
Mark Twain's letters are a clear depiction of his life and times.
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an act or instance of depicting.
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.
Vocabulary lists containing depiction
Content Summary G.1: Principles of Geography
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The Freedom Writers Diary
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 19
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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.
He loved the depiction and agreed with it completely.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
Harron’s depiction of Warhol’s studio, the Factory, removes the air of glitz that it’s so often remembered with.
From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026
The 17th-century painter’s depiction of the biblical figure, who has left behind her life of sin, is a work of entrancing details and pervading stillness.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
This time, he tried to defend himself by arguing he thought his depiction was of a doctor healing someone, not Jesus.
From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026
That Holmes would use an alias seemed beyond doubt, so Geyer brought along his photographs, even a depiction of the children’s distinctive “flat-top” trunk.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
