illustration
Americannoun
-
something that illustrates, as a picture in a book or magazine.
-
a comparison or an example intended for explanation or corroboration.
- Synonyms:
- explication
-
the act or process of illuminating.
-
the act of clarifying or explaining; elucidation.
-
Archaic. illustriousness; distinction.
noun
-
pictorial matter used to explain or decorate a text
-
an example or demonstration
an illustration of his ability
-
the act of illustrating or the state of being illustrated
Related Words
See case 1.
Other Word Forms
- illustrational adjective
- nonillustration noun
- overillustration noun
- preillustration noun
- reillustration noun
- superillustration noun
Etymology
Origin of illustration
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin illustrātiōn- (stem of illustrātiō ) “the act of making vivid, illustrating”; illustrate, -ion
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.
We learn here how this type of analytical perspective derived from scientific illustration, in particular from an anatomical drawing of an exploded human skull.
"The story is narrated by Erivo, with only snippets in dialogue," she explained, "which gives the sense of an audiobook accompanied by screen illustrations."
From BBC
It is believed only around 40 were ever printed, and they were given out as prizes for an illustration contest in the late 1990s.
From Los Angeles Times
The exhibition also includes murals featuring familiar childhood imagery: One is an illustration of an enormous traffic accident by children’s book author Richard Scarry.
From Los Angeles Times
He specializes in data visualization, cartography, illustration and graphics.
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.
