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.
The Ranch doesn’t have books like this, or the kind I remember from when I went to school, with their bright colors and pages full of illustrations and cartoon-like pictures.
From Literature
The exhibition includes examples of his illustrations for the journal Oxford Left, as well as some amusing caricatures of his aristocratic classmates.
Rachel and Stephen huddled around the illustration in the castle foyer with faithful Reece, under the pretence of translating its Latin inscription, before the two traitors asked Reece to make himself scarce.
From BBC
Cheerful illustrations accompanied by rhyming text enumerate little acts of love over the course of a day, from early-morning wake-ups to indulging requests for one more bedtime lullaby.
But in an update from the memorial committee and Cabinet Office, the main statue on The Mall will show Queen Elizabeth standing up and not riding a horse, as depicted in earlier illustrations.
From BBC
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.
