illustration

American  

[il-uh-strey-shuhn] / ˌɪl əˈstreɪ ʃən /

noun

illustrations plural

1. something that illustrates, as a picture in a book or magazine.

2. a comparison or an example intended for explanation or corroboration.

   Synonyms:

   explication

3. the act or process of illuminating.

4. the act of clarifying or explaining; elucidation.

5. Archaic. illustriousness; distinction.

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illustration British  

/ ˌɪləˈstreɪʃən /

noun

1. pictorial matter used to explain or decorate a text

2. an example or demonstration

   an illustration of his ability

3. the act of illustrating or the state of being illustrated

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Synonym Usage

See case ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonillustration
  noun
• overillustration
  noun
• preillustration
  noun
• reillustration
  noun
• superillustration
  noun
• illustrational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• illustrations
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

illustration illustrations

An illustration of the three responses from the bacteria when the nanoplastics come into contact with the biofilm.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

Siren Head’s popularity helped Henderson get other illustration work, including designing characters for the 2024 movie “Tarot.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 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

As Supreme Court justices prepare their ruling, Americans got a vivid illustration of the policy at work in the form of star US striker Folarin Balogun, who scored twice in the 4-1 rout over Paraguay.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

I held my breath as I placed the close-up image from the Ludus map beside the illustration from the D&D module.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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

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

Haberman and Swan argue those episodes are not simply colorful anecdotes but illustrations of a presidency increasingly shaped by personal loyalty, image management and a shrinking inner circle.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

Max probably thought it was just because Ivy was best at drawing maps and other illustrations.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• cartoon
• decoration
• depiction
• engraving
• etching
• image
• painting
• photo
• photograph
• picture
• sketch
• snapshot
• vignette