imagery

American  

[im-ij-ree, im-i-juh-ree] / ˈɪm ɪdʒ ri, ˈɪm ɪ dʒə ri /

noun

imageries plural

1. the formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things, or of such images collectively.

   the dim imagery of a dream.

2. pictorial images, as in works of art.

3. the use of rhetorical images.

4. figurative description or illustration; rhetorical images collectively.

5. Psychology. mental images collectively, especially those produced by the action of imagination.

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imagery British  

/ ˈɪmɪdʒrɪ, -dʒərɪ /

noun

1. figurative or descriptive language in a literary work

2. images collectively

3. psychol

   1. the materials or general processes of the imagination

   2. the characteristic kind of mental images formed by a particular individual See also image imagination

4. military the presentation of objects reproduced photographically (by infrared or electronic means) as prints or electronic displays

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imagery Cultural  

1. The mental pictures created by a piece of writing: “The imagery of “The Waste Land” — crumbling towers, dried-up wells, toppled tombstones — conveys the author's sense of a civilization in decay.”

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• imagerial
  adjective
• imagerially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• imageries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of imagery

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English imagerie, from Old French, equivalent to image + -ery

Explanation

Picture this: imagery is a noun to describe the way things or ideas seem in your mind or in art or literature. Imagery comes from image and originally referred to physical things like statues. Now it is more often used of an artist's or writer's depictions ("Shakespeare's imagery shows a wide knowledge of the world") or of the pictures of the world in someone's mind. Think of imagery as being the stockpile of your imagination. If the imagery in your dreams is a little scary, it might be time to stop eating those spicy meatball sandwiches right before bedtime.

Example Sentences

Melissa Vogel, a business anthropologist formerly of Clemson University, said the phenomenon also reflects deeper cultural patterns that blend Catholic imagery with indigenous traditions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026

BBC Verify analysed satellite imagery from two key locations - Esfahan and Bushehr - captured since restrictions began on 9 March.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026

Restrictions still remain in place for Planet's imagery across most of the Middle East including Iraq, Lebanon, Israel and Gaza.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026

“We are also helping them with some overhead imagery, especially in coastal areas where they do not have full visibility over what the damage has been or what the impact has been,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026

The church was like my own at Stromford, though with different imagery on the walls.

From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi

Related Words

• symbolism