Synonyms

illustrated

American

[il-uh-strey-tid] / ˈɪl əˌstreɪ tɪd /

adjective

containing pictures, drawings, and other illustrations.

an illustrated book.

noun

British. a magazine or newspaper regularly containing many photographs or drawings.

Other Word Forms

unillustrated adjective
well-illustrated adjective

Etymology

Origin of illustrated

First recorded in 1825–35; illustrate + -ed ²

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.

The cover is illustrated by a mango tree, symbolizing her parents’ home country of El Salvador.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

This was illustrated in a recent CNN interview with former tradwives — women who actually stayed at home and submitted to their husbands, not the ones peddling this fantasy on social media for cash.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026

The image illustrated what many experts say is Field Marshal Asim Munir's growing role at the centre of Pakistan's foreign relations.

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

Building nuclear reactors can be subject to extremely long delays, as recent examples in France and the UK have illustrated, at Flamanville-3 and Hinkley Point C.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

By evening I move on to rereading the annotated and illustrated version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023