telegenic
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of telegenic
First recorded in 1935–40; tele(vision) + -genic
Explanation
Anyone who's telegenic looks great onscreen. If you want to be a TV meteorologist, you'll need to study a lot of science, but you'll also have to be telegenic. Some people are telegenic because they're just so attractive, with a physical appearance that appeals to most viewers. Others just seem to have a charismatic way of relating to the camera that makes them suited to being on television (or in movies or videos). Most newscasters and movie stars are undeniably telegenic. The word telegenic was coined in 1937, a combination of television and photogenic.
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.
Mr. Lipscomb, who had proved the telegenic potential of gambling, thought legalization of sports betting was coming and urged Mr. Silver to flip the NBA’s oppositional stance and reap “a multi-billion-dollar windfall.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The telegenic governor has already begun projecting an air of confident authority, with his campaign largely winding up a week before the ballot.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2025
Organizers forbade several of their key moves as their brusque victories weren’t telegenic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
In other words, if Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. need to be replaced with other telegenic macho men, that, for Trump, is fine.
From Slate ● Nov. 28, 2024
They grow up accepting the politics of telegenic competition, a poor substitute for competence and commitment.
From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Mihai Nadin
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.
