pictorial
Americanadjective
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pertaining to, expressed in, or of the nature of a picture.
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illustrated by or containing pictures.
a pictorial history.
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of or relating to the art of painting and drawing pictures, the pictures themselves, or their makers.
the pictorial masterpieces of the Renaissance.
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having or suggesting the visual appeal or imagery of a picture.
a pictorial metaphor.
- Synonyms:
- telling, striking, vivid, picturesque
noun
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a periodical in which pictures constitute an important feature.
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a magazine feature that is primarily photographic.
adjective
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relating to, consisting of, or expressed by pictures
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(of books, newspapers, etc) containing pictures
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of or relating to painting or drawing
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(of language, style, etc) suggesting a picture; vivid; graphic
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pictorial
1640–50; < Latin pictōri ( us ) of painting ( pic- , variant stem of pingere to paint + -tōrius -tory 1 ) + -al 1
Explanation
If something's pictorial, it has illustrations or photographs. A graphic novel is a pictorial way to tell a story. Years ago, a pictorial was the name for a magazine that had far more pictures than text, but today the word is mostly used to mean "illustrated." Many books for very young children are mainly pictorial, and you could call your grandparents' photo album a pictorial record of their life together. Pictorial comes from the Latin word pictorius, "of a painter," from pingere, "to paint."
Vocabulary lists containing pictorial
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“This frequent and deepened engagement with the pictorial arts must in part be credited to the challenge posed by Titian.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
The nearly 70-year retrospective of portrait drawings in pencil and paint by Los Angeles artist Don Bachardy revealed the works to be like performances: Both artist and sitter participated in putting on a pictorial show.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025
Each is staffed by one employee who follows pictorial instructions on several overhead screens.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025
One of the more remarkable features of Velázquez’s stunning pictorial achievement is that he chose to paint Mariana’s portrait over one of many he had already executed of her husband.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2024
That was surely determined as a matter of pictorial and expressive necessity.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
