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Synonyms

scenery

American  
[see-nuh-ree] / ˈsi nə ri /

noun

sceneries plural
  1. the general appearance of a place; the aggregate of features that give character to a landscape.

    Synonyms:
    view, terrain
  2. hangings, draperies, structures, etc., used on a stage to represent a locale or furnish decorative background.


idioms

  1. chew the scenery, to act melodramatically; overact.

scenery British  
/ ˈsiːnərɪ /

noun

  1. the natural features of a landscape

  2. theatre the painted backcloths, stage structures, etc, used to represent a location in a theatre or studio

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of scenery

First recorded in 1740–50; scene + -ery

Explanation

Scenery is a word for how a place looks, especially a beautiful, outdoorsy place. Also, scenery is fake background in a play. If you go to a place with mountains, and beautiful trees, and gorgeous skies, then it's got great scenery. Scenery is the stuff you can look at outside. If a place is plain, ugly, or desolate, you might say, "Not much scenery." Also, painters and set designers create scenery for plays. In theater, scenery could represent anything: buildings, trees, or the inside of a house. If a play has a lot of different settings, then it needs a lot of scenery.

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Vocabulary lists containing scenery

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.

Now the scenery shifts to Mexico City and the hothouse of the iconic Azteca Stadium.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

The greatest variation appeared when bees flew above the cornfield, where the scenery offered fewer distinct visual cues.

From Science Daily • Jun. 14, 2026

They aren’t there for the scenery; clean hydropower is cheap in the Nordics, and cold air to cool the data centers is free.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Skeletor is all pixels with a clattering jaw perfect for chewing the scenery.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

I was still practicing law, but the specificity of the work and the change of scenery distracted me just enough from the bigger questions beginning to bubble up in my mind.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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