imagery

[im-ij-ree, im-i-juh-ree]

noun

plural

imageries 

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.

imagery

/ 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

imagery

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.”

Other Word Forms

• imagerial adjective
• imagerially adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of imagery¹

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

Example Sentences

This imagery is underscored elsewhere in the show in works that overtly deal with the artist’s own health struggles and her cancer diagnosis.

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The backgrounds changed to imagery that matched the rappers’ hometowns as they dove into their personal discography.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Satellite imagery, cargo tracking, and other near real-time forms of geospatial data allow traders to see oil movements and make adjustments before those changes turn into shocks.

Read more on Barron's

The final scenes race to a shuddery climax vividly crafted by Mr. Chu, who concludes with some suitably wonderful imagery and a pleasing reference to the signature poster art of the Broadway version.

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Here’s a first look at some of the imagery.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• symbolism