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definitions

pictorial

[ pik-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-ee-uhl ]
/ pɪkˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr i əl /
||

adjective

pertaining to, expressed in, or of the nature of a picture.
illustrated by or containing pictures: a pictorial history.
of or relating to the art of painting and drawing pictures, the pictures themselves, or their makers: the pictorial masterpieces of the Renaissance.
having or suggesting the visual appeal or imagery of a picture: a pictorial metaphor.

noun

a periodical in which pictures constitute an important feature.
a magazine feature that is primarily photographic.

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Nearby words

  1. pictograph,
  2. pictographic,
  3. pictography,
  4. pictor,
  5. pictores,
  6. pictorialism,
  7. pictorialize,
  8. pictorially,
  9. picts,
  10. picturable

Origin of pictorial

1640–50; < Latin pictōri(us) of painting (pic-, variant stem of pingere to paint + -tōrius -tory1) + -al1
SYNONYMS FOR pictorial
4. picturesque, vivid, striking, telling.
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pictorially

British Dictionary definitions for pictorially

pictorial

/ (pɪkˈtɔːrɪəl) /

adjective

relating to, consisting of, or expressed by pictures
(of books, newspapers, etc) containing pictures
of or relating to painting or drawing
(of language, style, etc) suggesting a picture; vivid; graphic

noun

  1. a magazine, newspaper, etc, containing many pictures
  2. (capital when part of a name)the Sunday Pictorial
Derived Formspictorially, adverb

Word Origin for pictorial

C17: from Late Latin pictōrius, from Latin pictor painter, from pingere to paint
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for pictorially

pictorial

adj.

1640s, from Latin pictorius "of a painter," from pictor "painter," from past participle stem of pingere "to make pictures" (see paint (v.)) + -al (1). The noun meaning "journal in which pictures are the main feature" is first recorded 1844. Related: Pictorially.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper