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

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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. )

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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

Around 1927 Hopper began to be known for the type of picture we now associate with his name: the depiction of a figure, or several figures, in an interior—an apartment, restaurant, office or hotel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Sorkin’s depiction of Zuckerberg as a sniveling coward might be smug, but it’s not inaccurate.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

Another place this tension can be seen is in their depiction of female vikings.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

Sam Adams argues that while newspapers in real life are dying, this onscreen depiction thrums with life.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

Landing of Columbus, by painter John Vanderlyn, is a mural in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, It is a typical depiction of the 1492 “discovery of America.”

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Edward Hopper is known for his depictions of New York, but his first truly individual paintings were Paris cityscapes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The dark realities of religious animosity, including depictions of grossly antisemitic images all too common from this era, are also examined.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Born in New York in 1990, Self works across painting, printmaking and sculpture, often using sewn and printed materials to build up depictions of the human figure.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

She avoided watching filmed depictions so as not to replicate other actors’ work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Some ancient depictions of horselike animals used for riding or for pulling carts may refer to onagers.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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Related Words

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

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