pictorial

1 of 2

adjective

pic·​to·​ri·​al pik-ˈtȯr-ē-əl How to pronounce pictorial (audio)
Synonyms of pictorialnext
1
: of or relating to a painter, a painting, or the painting or drawing of pictures
pictorial perspective
2
a
: of, relating to, or consisting of pictures
pictorial records
b
: illustrated by pictures
pictorial weekly
c
: consisting of or displaying the characteristics of pictographs
d
: suggesting or conveying visual images
pictorial poetry
pictorially
pik-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-lē How to pronounce pictorial (audio)
adverb
pictorialness noun

pictorial

2 of 2

noun

: a periodical having much pictorial matter

Synonyms of pictorial

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of pictorial in a Sentence

Adjective a pictorial record of the trip that photojournalist is planning to do a primarily pictorial report on the famine in Africa
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
It was coined in Japan in the 1990s for small pictorial symbols used in electronic messaging. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 Was there a pictorial representation of my book that would allow a deep dive view of how its different strands interacted to form a single narrative arc? — Literary Hub, 22 May 2026
Noun
Gibson, then 34, saw the pictorial in a classy, peekaboo way and even had a clothing budget. — Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025 By contrast, animation foregrounds the pictorial, which is its own aesthetic doctrine. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for pictorial

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Late Latin pictorius, from Latin pictor painter — more at picturesque

First Known Use

Adjective

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1844, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pictorial was in 1646

Rhymes for pictorial

See All Rhymes for pictorial

Browse Nearby Words

Pictor
pictorial
pictorialism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pictorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pictorial. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

pictorial

adjective
pic·​to·​ri·​al
pik-ˈtōr-ē-əl, 
-ˈtȯr-
1
: of or relating to painting or drawing
pictorial art
2
: consisting of or illustrated by pictures
pictorial magazines
3
: suggesting or communicating vivid mental images
pictorial poetry
pictorially
-ē-ə-lē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on pictorial

Nglish: Translation of pictorial for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All