graphic

¹ American  

[graf-ik] / ˈgræf ɪk /

adjective

1. giving a clear and effective picture; vivid.

   a graphic account of an earthquake.

   Synonyms:

   detailed, telling, striking

2. pertaining to the use of diagrams, graphs, mathematical curves, or the like; diagrammatic.

3. of, relating to, or expressed by writing.

   graphic symbols.

4. written, inscribed, or drawn.

5. depicted in a realistic or vivid manner.

   graphic sex and violence.

6. containing graphic descriptions.

   a graphic movie.

7. Geology. (of a rock) having a texture formed by the intergrowth of certain minerals so as to resemble written characters.

8. Mathematics. pertaining to the determination of values, solution of problems, etc., by direct measurement on diagrams instead of by ordinary calculations.

9. of or relating to the graphic arts.

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noun

1. a product of the graphic arts, as a drawing or print.

2. a computer-generated image.

-graphic ² American  

1. a combination of -graph and -ic, forming adjectives corresponding to nouns ending in -graph:

   telegraphic.

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graphic British  

/ ˈɡræfɪk /

adjective

1. vividly or clearly described

   a graphic account of the disaster

2. sexually explicit

3. of or relating to writing or other inscribed representations

   graphic symbols

4. maths using, relating to, or determined by a graph

   a graphic representation of the figures

5. of or relating to the graphic arts

6. geology having or denoting a texture formed by intergrowth of the crystals to resemble writing

   graphic granite

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Usage

What does -graphic mean? The combining form -graphic is used like a suffix meaning “of or relating to something drawn or written," often to denote a recording of something. It is often used in scientific and technical terms.The combining form -graphic comes from a combination of two forms. The first is -graph, from Greek -graphos, meaning “drawn or written, one who draws or writes.” The second form is the suffix -ic, which denotes an adjective.What are variants of -graphic?While -graphic doesn't have any variants, it is related to the forms -graphy, as in telegraphy, as well as -graph, as in pictograph. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on -graphy and -graph.

Related Words

See picturesque.

Other Word Forms

• graphically adverb
• graphicalness noun
• graphicness noun
• nongraphic adjective
• nongraphical adjective
• nongraphically adverb
• nongraphicalness noun
• ungraphic adjective
• ungraphical adjective
• ungraphically adverb

Etymology

Origin of graphic

First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin graphicus “of painting or drawing,” from Greek graphikós “able to draw or paint,” equivalent to gráph(ein) “to draw, write” + -ikos -ic; cognate with carve

Example Sentences

Ruben Dias appeared to be jumping in the semi-automated offside graphic.

From BBC

Her mother and local women and children modeled for graphic paintings that point to Schjerfbeck’s growing commitment to a personal brand of home-brewed modernism.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nvidia’s graphic processing units, or GPUs, dominated the initial push to train AI models.

From The Wall Street Journal

After driving to the wrong side of the pump, it occurred to Moylan that a simple graphic on the dashboard could save others from his mistake.

From The Wall Street Journal

Then she got a little graphic about her pal’s symptoms.

From Los Angeles Times