illustration
Americannoun
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something that illustrates, as a picture in a book or magazine.
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a comparison or an example intended for explanation or corroboration.
- Synonyms:
- explication
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the act or process of illuminating.
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the act of clarifying or explaining; elucidation.
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Archaic. illustriousness; distinction.
noun
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pictorial matter used to explain or decorate a text
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an example or demonstration
an illustration of his ability
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the act of illustrating or the state of being illustrated
Synonym Usage
See case 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonillustrationnoun
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overillustrationnoun
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preillustrationnoun
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reillustrationnoun
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superillustrationnoun
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illustrationaladjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of illustration
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin illustrātiōn- (stem of illustrātiō ) “the act of making vivid, illustrating”; see illustrate, -ion
Explanation
When the written instructions get tough, look for an illustration — a picture — to figure out what to do. Assembling furniture? Numbered diagrams and other illustrations can help you avoid the dreaded pile of "leftover" pieces. An illustration can also be a helpful example that isn't visual at all. A coworker who comes to work with a terrible cold and gives it to the whole office is an illustration of what happens when a boss discourages the use of sick days. You hope that the boss isn't an illustration of management at that company! If so, maybe these workers do need a visual: an illustration that shows hand-washing techniques and other ways to avoid germs.
Vocabulary lists containing illustration
Vocabulary of the Common Core
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Florida EOC Biology 1
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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.
See Examples For:
An illustration of the three responses from the bacteria when the nanoplastics come into contact with the biofilm.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
Karp’s I’m-mad-as-hell-and-I’m-not-going-to-take-it-anymore moment is perhaps the best illustration yet of the battle brewing between the tech establishment and the AI upstarts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
That’s why he chose an illustration for the cover of his 2024 debut album “Incómodo,” rather than a real-life image of himself; the LP title directly translates to “discomfort.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
A good illustration is what happened leading up to the top of the internet bubble in March 2000.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
A note had been scribbled next to the illustration: Rusalka seen today didn't have a fishtail—investigate.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Postcards were introduced to Britain in 1870 and initially did not have illustrations as they were intended to be a quick and informal mode of communication, according to the Postal Museum.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Highlights include work by Norman Rockwell and Dorothea Lange, as well as a variety of manga, children’s book illustrations and comics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Additional material used for illustrations by Getty Images.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
One of the most famous illustrations of quantum mechanics came in 1935, when Erwin Schrödinger proposed his cat paradox.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
Instead, too many textbooks still list names and terms, with few if any illustrations.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
