ecphrasis
- noun
- /ɛkˈfræsɪs/
- Literature
:
ecfrasis
- The author used ecphrasis to vividly describe the painting, allowing readers to imagine the colors and textures of the artwork.
Examples
-
Hard on the heels of this brilliant exercise in ecphrasis, or description, Lucian, something of a formalist it seems, compares calumny to a drama with three main actors: "he who brings the accusation, he against whom it is made, and he to whom it is brought" (365).
Academic text (1999) -
We, the readers, are put into the judgment seat reserved in Lucian's ecphrasis for the Midas-like king figure; that is, we are going to accompany Bento in his narrative of growing up, relive his life as he tells it, and, if he is rhetorically successful, come to the same conclusions he does; in short, to be Bento.
Academic text (1999) -
In her essay, the critic employed ecphrasis to transport the audience into the scene depicted in the sculpture, bringing its details to life.
-
His poem features ecphrasis that captures the beauty of the sunset, painting a picture with words that evokes strong imagery.
Synonyms
445
3.3
A picture you form in your mind from words or ideas
279
2.0
A clear image in your mind of something
25
4.4
A description using words that shows what something is like
2
4.2
A clear description that makes you imagine a scene
1
9.9
A vivid description of a painting or sculpture that makes it seem alive for the reader
A description in words that makes you imagine something clearly
How Vivid
Surface Forms
Etymology
Ecphrasis comes from Greek parts ek- 'out' and phrasis 'speaking' and is related to the everyday word phrase. It literally means 'speaking out', so an ecphrasis is a vivid description that uses words to make a picture or a work of art come alive.