picture - Definition | Dictionary definition of picture

Definition of picture

Nouns

a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

"they showed us the pictures of their wedding"

Synonyms:: icon, ikon, image

Types:: show 18 types...; hide 18 types...; bitmap, electronic image
an image represented as a two dimensional array of brightness values for pixels; chiaroscuro
a monochrome picture made by using several different shades of the same color; grisaille
chiaroscuro painting or stained glass etc., in shades of grey imitating the effect of relief; collage, montage
a paste-up made by sticking together pieces of paper or photographs to form an artistic image; photomontage
a montage that uses photographic images; foil, transparency
picture consisting of a positive photograph or drawing on a transparent base; viewed with a projector; lantern slide, slide
a transparency mounted in a frame; viewed with a slide projector; overhead, viewgraph
a transparency for use with an overhead projector; computer graphic, graphic
an image that is generated by a computer; iconography
the images and symbolic representations that are traditionally associated with a person or a subject; inset
a small picture inserted within the bounds or a larger one; likeness, semblance
picture consisting of a graphic image of a person or thing; Identikit, Identikit picture
a likeness of a person's face constructed from descriptions given to police; uses a set of transparencies of various facial features that can be combined to build up a picture of the person sought; portrait, portrayal
any likeness of a person, in any medium; cyclorama, diorama, panorama
a picture (or series of pictures) representing a continuous scene; reflection, reflexion
the image of something as reflected by a mirror (or other reflective material); CAT scan, scan
an image produced by scanning; echogram, sonogram
an image of a structure that is produced by ultrasonography (reflections of high-frequency sound waves); used to observe fetal growth or to study bodily organs

Type of:: representation
a creation that is a visual or tangible rendering of someone or something

graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface

"his pictures hang in the Louvre"

Synonyms:: painting

Types:: show 24 types...; hide 24 types...; abstraction
an abstract painting; cityscape
painting depicting a city or urban area; daub
an unskillful painting; distemper
a painting created with paint that is made by mixing the pigments with water and a binder; finger-painting
a painting produced by spreading paint with the fingers; icon, ikon
a conventional religious painting in oil on a small wooden panel; venerated in the Eastern Church; landscape
painting depicting an expanse of natural scenery; illumination, miniature
painting or drawing included in a book (especially in illuminated medieval manuscripts); monochrome
painting done in a range of tones of a single color; mural, wall painting
a painting that is applied to a wall surface; fresco
a mural done with watercolors on wet plaster; nude, nude painting
a painting of a naked human figure; oil painting
a picture painted with oil paints; canvas, canvass
an oil painting on canvas fabric; pentimento
the reappearance in a painting of an underlying image that had been painted over (usually when the later painting becomes transparent with age); sand painting
a painting done by Amerindians (especially Navaho); made of fine colored sands on a neutral background; seascape, waterscape
a painting of the sea (as distinguished from a landscape); semi-abstraction
a semiabstract painting; still life
a painting of inanimate objects such as fruit or flowers; tanka
a Tibetan religious painting on fabric; trompe l'oeil
a painting rendered in such great detail as to deceive the viewer concerning its reality; water-color, water-colour, watercolor, watercolour
a painting produced with watercolors; gouache
a watercolor executed with opaque watercolors mixed with gum; wash, wash drawing
a watercolor made by applying a series of monochrome washes one over the other

Type of:: graphic art
the arts of drawing or painting or printmaking

a clear and telling mental image

"he described his mental picture of his assailant"

"he had no clear picture of himself or his world"

Synonyms:: impression, mental picture

Type of:: image, mental image
an iconic mental representation

a situation treated as an observable object

"the political picture is favorable"

Synonyms:: scene

Type of:: situation, state of affairs
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time

illustrations used to decorate or explain a text

"the dictionary had many pictures"

Synonyms:: pictorial matter

Type of:: illustration
artwork that helps make something clear or attractive

a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement

Synonyms:: film, flick, motion picture, motion-picture show, movie, moving picture, moving-picture show, pic, picture show

Types:: show 22 types...; hide 22 types...; telefilm
a movie that is made to be shown on television; feature, feature film
the principal (full-length) film in a program at a movie theater; Western, horse opera
a film about life in the western United States during the period of exploration and development; final cut
the final edited version of a movie as approved by the director and producer; home movie
a film made at home by an amateur photographer; collage film
a movie that juxtaposes different kinds of footage; coming attraction
a movie that is advertised to draw customers; shoot-'em-up
a movie featuring shooting and violence; short subject
a brief film; often shown prior to showing the feature; animated cartoon, cartoon, toon
a film made by photographing a series of cartoon drawings to give the illusion of movement when projected in rapid sequence; newsreel
a short film and commentary about current events; docudrama, documentary, documentary film, infotainment
a film or TV program presenting the facts about a person or event; cinema verite
a movie that shows ordinary people in actual activities without being controlled by a director; film noir
a movie that is marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, menace, and cynical characters; skin flick
a pornographic movie; peepshow
a short pornographic film shown in a small coin-operated booth; rough cut
the first print of a movie after preliminary editing; silent movie, silent picture, silents
a movie without a soundtrack; slow motion
a movie that apparently takes place at a slower than normal speed; achieved by taking the film at a faster rate; talkie, talking picture
a movie with synchronized speech and singing; 3-D, 3D, three-D
a movie with images having three dimensional form or appearance; musical, musical comedy, musical theater
a play or film whose action and dialogue is interspersed with singing and dancing

Type of:: product, production
an artifact that has been created by someone or some process; show
a social event involving a public performance or entertainment

the visible part of a television transmission

"they could still receive the sound but the picture was gone"

Synonyms:: video

Type of:: visual communication
communication that relies on vision

a graphic or vivid verbal description

"too often the narrative was interrupted by long word pictures"

"the author gives a depressing picture of life in Poland"

Synonyms:: characterisation, characterization, delineation, depiction, word picture, word-painting

Types:: epithet
descriptive word or phrase; portrait, portraiture, portrayal
a word picture of a person's appearance and character

Type of:: description, verbal description
a statement that represents something in words

a typical example of some state or quality

"the very picture of a modern general"

"she was the picture of despair"

Type of:: exemplification, typification
a representational or typifying form or model

a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide; recorded by a camera on light-sensitive material

Synonyms:: exposure, photo, photograph, pic

Types:: show 38 types...; hide 38 types...; beefcake
a photograph of a muscular man in minimal attire; black and white, monochrome
a black-and-white photograph or slide; blueprint
photographic print of plans or technical drawings etc.; cheesecake
a photograph of an attractive woman in minimal attire; closeup
a photograph taken at close range; daguerreotype
a photograph made by an early photographic process; the image was produced on a silver plate sensitized to iodine and developed in mercury vapor; blowup, enlargement, magnification
a photographic print that has been enlarged; frame
a single one of a series of still transparent pictures forming a cinema, television or video film; glossy
a photograph that is printed on smooth shiny paper; headshot
a photograph of a person's head; hologram, holograph
the intermediate photograph (or photographic record) that contains information for reproducing a three-dimensional image by holography; longshot
a photograph taken from a distance; microdot
photograph reduced to the size of a dot (usually for purposes of security); arial mosaic, mosaic, photomosaic
arrangement of aerial photographs forming a composite picture; mug shot, mugshot
a photograph of someone's face (especially one made for police records); photocopy
a photographic copy of written or printed or graphic work; photostat
a photocopy made on a Photostat machine; photographic print, print
a printed picture produced from a photographic negative; cutout
a photograph from which the background has been cut away; proof
a trial photographic print from a negative; photomicrograph
a photograph taken with the help of a microscope; radiogram, radiograph, shadowgraph, skiagram, skiagraph
a photographic image produced on a radiosensitive surface by radiation other than visible light (especially by X-rays or gamma rays); autoradiograph
a radiogram produced by radiation emitted by the specimen being photographed; X ray, X-ray, X-ray photograph, X-ray picture, roentgenogram
a radiogram made by exposing photographic film to X rays; used in medical diagnosis; shot, snap, snapshot
an informal photograph; usually made with a small hand-held camera; spectrogram, spectrograph
a photographic record of a spectrum; visible speech
spectrogram of speech; speech displayed spectrographically; stereo, stereoscopic photograph, stereoscopic picture
two photographs taken from slightly different angles that appear three-dimensional when viewed together; anaglyph
moving or still pictures in contrasting colors that appear three-dimensional when superimposed; still
a static photograph (especially one taken from a movie and used for advertising purposes); telephoto, telephotograph
a photograph made with a telephoto lens; telephotograph
a photograph transmitted and reproduced over a distance; radiophoto, radiophotograph
a photograph transmitted by radio waves; time exposure
a photograph produced with a relatively long exposure time; vignette
a photograph whose edges shade off gradually; wedding picture
photographs of bride and groom and their friends taken at their wedding; scene, shot
a consecutive series of pictures that constitutes a unit of action in a film; outtake
a scene that is filmed but is not used in the final editing of the film