WordValeimagery
language appealing to the senses
In more detail
1. (noun) pictures, photographs, or visual representations, especially in art or media
2. (noun) vivid descriptions or language that creates pictures in the reader's mind
3. (noun) mental images or pictures that you create in your mind
Examples
- The book's cover features beautiful satellite imagery of Earth from space.
- The poet's imagery of the forest made readers feel like they were walking through dark woods.
- Through guided meditation, she created calming imagery in her mind to reduce stress.
How to use imagery
Imagery refers both to literal visual representations (photographs, satellite data, artwork) and to figurative language that creates mental pictures in the mind. In literature and rhetoric, it describes evocative descriptions that appeal to the senses. The term is widely used in art criticism, media, neuroscience, and creative writing to describe both external visuals and internal mental representations.
Common phrases
- satellite imagery
- vivid imagery
- poetic imagery
- create imagery
- evoke imagery
- rich imagery
Synonyms
visuals · pictures · illustrations · representation · visualization
Word family
image · imagine · imaginary · imaginative
A common mistake
Learners sometimes use imagery incorrectly to mean imagination itself, when it actually refers to the mental pictures or descriptions produced, not the cognitive process of imagining.
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