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vivid imagery

vivid imagery

1 4.0
Words that make a clear strong picture in your mind
  • noun
  • /ˈvɪvɪd ˈɪmɪdʒəri/
  • Literature
translation icon : imágenes vívidas
  • Jesus speaks with vivid imagery using the physical body as an illustration of what it is to choose and to shape our internal reality.
  • experience vivid imagery
  • more vivid imagery

Examples

  • I found his modern contemporary, John D. MacDonald, later in life, and marveled at the vivid imagery evoked in his works.

    Blog text (17)
  • Subjects who experience more vivid imagery were more vulnerable to false memories when they were stressed.

    Academic text (2002)
  • This comforting writing was again in the form of apocalyptic literature with its creative style and vivid imagery.

    Blog text (15)
  • Ancient myth and poetry were characterized by the use of vivid imagery and a feeble grasp of reasoning similar to the conceptions of children.

    Academic text (2005)
  • In certain instances, an ekphrastic passage or phrase appears to spark his imagination, evoking vivid imagery.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Nokia CEO Stephen Elop in February 2011 used a story to create vivid imagery for Nokia's entire workforce to create a common context for a difficult message.

    Blog text (17)
  • The poem's vivid imagery transports readers to a colorful sunset over the ocean.

  • Her stories are filled with vivid imagery that makes the characters and settings come alive.

  • In his painting, the artist used vivid imagery to capture the beauty of the natural landscape.

Synonyms

imagery
vsvivid imagery
  • Literature
43 4.6

Language that makes you picture scenes, sights, or sounds

focuses specifically on strong visual impressions rather than all senses
depiction
vsvivid imagery
25 4.4

A description using words that shows what something is like

is focused on language that makes strong visual impressions rather than any representation
word picture
vsvivid imagery
  • Literature
2 4.2

A clear description that makes you imagine a scene

is broader, focusing on striking visual effect across descriptive language
vividness
vsvivid imagery
2 4.2

A clear, lively way of showing details that feels real

applies to descriptive language creating visual impressions rather than to the general quality
delineation
vsvivid imagery
  • Formal
1 6.8

A clear description that shows how something looks or feels

focuses on strong visual impressions rather than merely listing details
graphicness
vsvivid imagery
  • NSFW
1 7.3

A very clear and detailed description of something unpleasant or shocking

focuses on strong visual impressions without the shocking or explicit tone
vivid wordscape
vsvivid imagery
  • Literature
8.2

A clear, colorful description in words that makes you imagine the scene

aims at clear visual impressions rather than broad sensory effect
word-painting
vsvivid imagery
  • Literature
7.4

A description in words that makes you imagine something clearly

is the language that produces visual effect rather than the describing action

How Vivid

vivid imagery
  • Literature
1 4.0
word picture
  • Literature
2 4.2
depiction
25 4.4
picture
279 2.0

Surface Forms

vivid imagery singular

Morphology

vivid + imagery

The meaning is directly compositional: 'vivid' (strong, clear, lifelike) simply modifies 'imagery' (descriptive sensory language), yielding descriptive language that creates strong visual impressions. This adjective + noun pattern is a common, transparent construction cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Vivid imagery comes from the idea of a bright, lively picture: vivid means very bright or full of life and imagery means pictures in the mind. That's why the term describes language that makes 'clear pictures in your mind'.