visual

American  

[vizh-oo-uhl] / ˈvɪʒ u əl /

adjective

1. of or relating to seeing or sight.

   a visual image.

2. used in seeing.

   the visual sense.

3. optical.

4. perceptible by the sense of sight; visible.

   a visual beauty.

5. perceptible by the mind; of the nature of a mental vision.

   a visual impression captured in a line of verse.

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noun

1. Usually visuals.

   1. the picture elements, as distinguished from the sound elements, in films, television, etc.

   2. photographs, slides, films, charts, or other visual materials, especially as used for illustration or promotion.

2. a rough, preliminary sketch of an advertising layout, showing possible arrangements of material.

3. any item or element depending on the sense of sight.

visual British  

/ -zjʊ-, ˈvɪʒʊəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, done by, or used in seeing

   visual powers

   visual steering

2. another word for optical

3. capable of being seen; visible

4. of, occurring as, or induced by a mental image

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noun

1. a sketch to show the proposed layout of an advertisement, as in a newspaper

2. (often plural) a photograph, film, or other display material

Other Word Forms

• nonvisual
  adjective
• subvisual
  adjective
• supervisual
  adjective
• supervisually
  adverb
• unvisual
  adjective
• unvisually
  adverb
• visually
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of visual

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin vīsuālis, from vīsu(s) “sight” (noun use of past participle of vidēre “to see”) + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

If you want to know the meaning of visual, just look around! Anything you can see falls under the heading of visual. What "aural" is to the ears and "olfactory" is to the nose, visual is to the eyes. It's often said that "film is a visual medium"; it uses pictures to tell a story. You have to see it to get it. That's clearly different from, say, radio which can only use audio. Have you ever closed your eyes while watching a cartoon? If you cut out the visual parts and just listen to the music and sound effects, it's often even funnier. As zany as the sounds are, they're even funnier when you separate them from their visual cues. Visual shares its root with vision, which is (not surprisingly) the ability to see. How visual!

Example Sentences

“Fares will go up. There is no way around it,” said Courtney Miller, founder of aviation-data provider Visual Approach Analytics.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

The spaces feature the newly released Huntington Collection wall covering by Morris & Co. in the iconic Strawberry Thief motif, pink ceilings and Alberto Giacometti-style lighting from Visual Comfort.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

This interactive has been put together by the BBC's Visual Journalism team and BBC journalists in Glasgow.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Visual elements that initially seem like clear products of a small budget actually show off what one can achieve with limited means.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

Visual acuity correctable to 20/20; if there have been surgical procedures to the eye, such as LASIK, a year must have passed since the latest procedure.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson