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

See Examples For:

imagery imageries

Fire officials had also failed to take advantage of satellite imagery after strong winds grounded their typical eyes in the sky, aircraft.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Playing a fast style mixed with Lant's dark imagery and lyrics, the album gave its name to an entire subgenre and influenced bands on both sides of the Atlantic.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Governments could use these data centers to store sovereign data, and companies could use them to process satellite imagery in real-time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

In 2024, Joël Lapointe was preparing for a trip to the remote Côte-Nord region when a circular feature near Lake Marsal caught his attention on online satellite imagery.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

"Any imagery we take goes directly to the public."

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

In each case, she examines her life through the lens of fairy tales, demonstrating how we can draw on their moralities and imageries to make sense of ourselves and our relationship to others.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 11, 2023

These are very real things, very real issues that we deal with, and the dope, almost simple act of just showing regular humans can counteract years of negative imageries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2021

As you pointed out, there are many beautiful imageries in science, and they are often produced during the course of conducting an experiment or as a way of presenting the result of said experiment.

From Scientific American ● Jan. 13, 2012

In a few minutes the moon would disappear behind the farther rim of the world; the cañon would sink back into its own night, all its moonlit imageries melting, vanishing.

From Jim Waring of Sonora-Town Tang of Life by Henry Herbert Knibbs

At least, Martin thought so; but he did not know then that the windows of the soul let in imageries that depend more on mood than on reality.

From The Revellers by Louis Tracy

Related Words

• symbolism