image

[ im-ij ]

/ ˈɪm ɪdʒ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: image / imaged / images / imaging on Thesaurus.com

noun

a physical likeness or representation of a person, animal, or thing, photographed, painted, sculptured, or otherwise made visible.

an optical counterpart or appearance of an object, as is produced by reflection from a mirror, refraction by a lens, or the passage of luminous rays through a small aperture and their reception on a surface.

a mental representation; idea; conception.

Psychology. a mental representation of something previously perceived, in the absence of the original stimulus.

form; appearance; semblance: We are all created in God's image.

counterpart; copy: That child is the image of his mother.

a symbol; emblem.

the general or public perception of a company, public figure, etc., especially as achieved by careful calculation aimed at creating widespread goodwill.

a type; embodiment: Red-faced and angry, he was the image of frustration.

a description of something in speech or writing: Keats created some of the most beautiful images in the language.

Rhetoric. a figure of speech, especially a metaphor or a simile.

an idol or representation of a deity: They knelt down before graven images.

Mathematics. the point or set of points in the range corresponding to a designated point in the domain of a given function.

Archaic. an illusion or apparition.

verb (used with object), im·aged, im·ag·ing.

to picture or represent in the mind; imagine; conceive.

to make an image of; portray in sculpture, painting, etc.

to project (photographs, film, etc.) on a surface: Familiar scenes were imaged on the screen.

to reflect the likeness of; mirror.

to set forth in speech or writing; describe.

to symbolize; typify.

to resemble.

Informal. to create an image for (a company, public figure, etc.): The candidate had to be imaged before being put on the campaign trail.

to transform (data) into an exact replica in a different form, as changing digital data to pixels for display on a screen or representing a medical scan of a body part in digital form.

OTHER WORDS FOR image

2 likeness, figure, representation.

3 notion.

6 facsimile.

See synonyms for image on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR image

6 original.

See antonyms for image on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

TEST YOUR MERIT ON THESE NEW WORDS IN 2021

The Dictionary added new words and definition to our vast collection, and we want to see how well-versed you are in the formally recognized new lingo. Take the quiz!

Question 1 of 8

What does JEDI stand for?

justice, equity, diversity, inclusion

justice, energy, determination, instruction

joy, equality, diversity, involvement

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of image

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English from Old French image, imagene (-ene apparently construed as suffix) from Latin imāgin-, stem of imāgō “a copy, likeness,” equivalent to im- (cf. imitate) + -āgō noun suffix; (verb) Middle English: “to form a mental picture” from Old French imagier, derivative of image

synonym study for image

1, 12. Image, icon, idol refer to material representations of persons or things. An image is a representation as in a statue or effigy, and is sometimes regarded as an object of worship: to set up an image of Apollo; an image of a saint. An icon, in the Greek or Eastern Orthodox Church, is a representation of Christ, an angel, or a saint, in painting, relief, mosaic, or the like: At least two icons are found in each church. An idol is an image, statue, or the like representing a deity and worshiped as such: a wooden idol; The heathen worship idols. It may be used figuratively: to make an idol of wealth.

OTHER WORDS FROM image

im·age·a·ble, adjectiveim·ag·er, nounpre·im·age, nounre·im·age, verb (used with object), re·im·aged, re·im·ag·ing.

un·im·aged, adjective

Words nearby image

Ilves, I.L.W.U., ILY, Ilyushin, IM, image, image consultant, image converter, image dissector, image enhancement, image intensifier

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use image in a sentence

If a pixel of the satellite image, which covers 1 square kilometer, contains fire, it is labeled a hot spot.
What wildfires in Brazil, Siberia, and the US West have in common|Lili Pike|September 17, 2020|Vox
In this very speech, he took a passing shot at “highly political” district attorneys trying “to remake state and local prosecutorial offices in their preferred progressive image.”
The stunning hypocrisy of Bill Barr|Andrew Prokop|September 17, 2020|Vox
Brand takeovers typically run for three to five seconds and are either videos or images.
What you must know about TikTok for business|Connie Benton|September 17, 2020|Search Engine Watch
The record number of women running for Congress is official after the last state primary, Barbados will remove the Queen as its head of state, and a model attempts to reclaim her image.
Emily Ratajkowski and the question of why society looks down on models|kristenlbellstrom|September 17, 2020|Fortune

A week after the image was taken, things have only gone worse on the West Coast.
West Coast wildfire smoke is visible from outer space|María Paula Rubiano A.|September 16, 2020|Popular-Science
The effort to sterilize his image first began when Epstein hired Los Angeles-based spin doctors Sitrick Co.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Oh, and the first press image they released was a pair of black dudes in tracksuits as a troll of sorts to NME.
The 14 Best Songs of 2014: Bobby Shmurda, Future Islands, Drake, and More|Marlow Stern|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of course, Kim Jong-Un takes an image hit as a Katy Perry-obsessed, margarita-drinking maniac with daddy issues.
I Was Honeydicked Into Spending Christmas with ‘The Interview’|Allison McNearney|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When his agent asked if he missed his wife, his mind flashed to an image of Alison.
What On Earth Is ‘The Affair’ About? Season One’s Baffling Finale|Tim Teeman|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What image are you hoping people who pick up this book and read it, come away with?
Tim Howard’s Wall of Intensity|William O’Connor|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This harmless image of a fierce beast Yung Pak would pull about the floor with a string by the hour.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
The object is to produce a concurrence or connection between the sight-image of the Person and a sound-image of his Name.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
In return, each of the priests placed an image of Buddha on a tree-root, turning it into an altar.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
The stainless image fearing to disturb,So faithfully reflected in my breast;As winds disturb the mirror of the lake.
The Poems of Giacomo Leopardi|Giacomo Leopardi
The image stillWas seen, and in the sun's uncertain lightAbove my couch she seemed to linger still.
The Poems of Giacomo Leopardi|Giacomo Leopardi

British Dictionary definitions for image

image

/ (ˈɪmɪdʒ) /

noun

a representation or likeness of a person or thing, esp in sculpture

an optically formed reproduction of an object, such as one formed by a lens or mirror

a person or thing that resembles another closely; double or copy

a mental representation or picture; idea produced by the imagination

the personality presented to the public by a person, organization, etca criminal charge is not good for a politician's image See also corporate image

the pattern of light that is focused on to the retina of the eye

psychol the mental experience of something that is not immediately present to the senses, often involving memorySee also imagery, body image, hypnagogic image

a personification of a specified quality; epitomethe image of good breeding

a mental picture or association of ideas evoked in a literary work, esp in poetry

a figure of speech, such as a simile or metaphor

maths

(of a point) the value of a function, f(x), corresponding to the point x
the range of a function

an obsolete word for apparition

verb (tr)

to picture in the mind; imagine

to make or reflect an image of

computing to project or display on a screen or visual display unit

to portray or describe

to be an example or epitome of; typify

Derived forms of image

imageable, adjectiveimageless, adjective

Word Origin for image

C13: from Old French imagene, from Latin imāgō copy, representation; related to Latin imitārī to imitate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for image

image

[ ĭm′ĭj ]

An optically formed duplicate or other representative reproduction of an object, especially an optical reproduction of an object formed by a lens or mirror.

A mental picture of something not real or present.

An exact copy of data in a computer file transferred to another medium.

To make or produce a likeness of.

To picture something mentally; imagine.

To translate photographs or other pictures by computer into numbers that can be transmitted to a remote location and then reconverted into pictures by another computer.

To visualize something, as by magnetic resonance imaging.

Other Idioms and Phrases with image

image

see spitting image.

image

OTHER WORDS FOR image

OPPOSITES FOR image

Origin of image

synonym study for image

OTHER WORDS FROM image

Words nearby image

Words related to image

How to use image in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for image

Derived forms of image

Word Origin for image

Medical definitions for image

Other Idioms and Phrases with image