photographic

American  

[foh-tuh-graf-ik] / ˌfoʊ təˈgræf ɪk /

Sometimes photographical

adjective

1. of or relating to photography.

2. used in, or produced by means of, photography.

   photographic equipment; the photographic coverage of a newspaper.

3. suggestive of a photograph; extremely realistic and detailed.

   photographic accuracy.

4. remembering, reproducing, or functioning with the precision of a photograph.

   a photographic memory.

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photographic British  

/ ˌfəʊtəˈɡræfɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to photography

   a photographic society

   photographic materials

2. like a photograph in accuracy or detail

3. (of a person's memory) able to retain facts, appearances, etc, in precise detail, often after only a very short view of or exposure to them

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Other Word Forms

• nonphotographic adjective
• nonphotographical adjective
• nonphotographically adverb
• photographically adverb

Etymology

Origin of photographic

First recorded in 1839; photograph + -ic

Example Sentences

“Every one of these additional pieces of photographic or video evidence is allowing us to get a little bit closer to a recognizable figure,” Smiley said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ms. Iturbide is a master of magical realism of the photographic kind.

From The Wall Street Journal

As an adolescent, he learns about the process of light and shadow transforming into photographic images, described in vivid detail.

From Los Angeles Times

She once relied on an almost photographic memory to learn scripts, but now must have lines read aloud to her.

From Salon

The suspects' activities, which took place this week in Warsaw and the eastern city of Bialystok, included "transmitting photographic documentation of critical infrastructure and key sites for state security."

From Barron's

Related Words

• cinematic
• pictorial
• visual
• vivid