IMAGE Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

image

[ im-ij ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a physical likeness or representation of a person, animal, or thing, photographed, painted, sculptured, or otherwise made visible.
an optical counterpart or appearance of an object, as is produced by reflection from a mirror, refraction by a lens, or the passage of luminous rays through a small aperture and their reception on a surface.
Synonyms: , ,
a mental representation; idea; conception.
Synonyms:
Psychology. a mental representation of something previously perceived, in the absence of the original stimulus.
form; appearance; semblance:
We are all created in God's image.
counterpart; copy:
That child is the image of his mother.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
a symbol; emblem.
the general or public perception of a company, public figure, etc., especially as achieved by careful calculation aimed at creating widespread goodwill.
a type; embodiment:
Red-faced and angry, he was the image of frustration.
a description of something in speech or writing:
Keats created some of the most beautiful images in the language.
Rhetoric. a figure of speech, especially a metaphor or a simile.
an idol or representation of a deity:
They knelt down before graven images.
Mathematics. the point or set of points in the range corresponding to a designated point in the domain of a given function.
Archaic. an illusion or apparition.

verb (used with object)

imaged, imaging.

to picture or represent in the mind; imagine; conceive.
to make an image of; portray in sculpture, painting, etc.
to project (photographs, film, etc.) on a surface:
Familiar scenes were imaged on the screen.
to reflect the likeness of; mirror.
to set forth in speech or writing; describe.
to symbolize; typify.
to resemble.
Informal. to create an image for (a company, public figure, etc.):
The candidate had to be imaged before being put on the campaign trail.
to transform (data) into an exact replica in a different form, as changing digital data to pixels for display on a screen or representing a medical scan of a body part in digital form.

image

/ ˈɪ��ɪ�� /

noun

a representation or likeness of a person or thing, esp in sculpture
an optically formed reproduction of an object, such as one formed by a lens or mirror
a person or thing that resembles another closely; double or copy
a mental representation or picture; idea produced by the imagination
the personality presented to the public by a person, organization, etc See also corporate image
a criminal charge is not good for a politician's image
the pattern of light that is focused on to the retina of the eye
psychol the mental experience of something that is not immediately present to the senses, often involving memory See also imagery body image hypnagogic image
a personification of a specified quality; epitome
the image of good breeding
a mental picture or association of ideas evoked in a literary work, esp in poetry
a figure of speech, such as a simile or metaphor
maths
1. (of a point) the value of a function, f( x ), corresponding to the point x
2. the range of a function
an obsolete word for apparition

verb

to picture in the mind; imagine
to make or reflect an image of
computing to project or display on a screen or visual display unit
to portray or describe
to be an example or epitome of; typify

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Derived Forms

ˈ��, adjective
ˈ��𲹲��, adjective

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Other �y��vlog Forms

��a��·��·�� adjective
��a��·�� noun
��·��a�� noun
��·��a�� verb (used with object) reimaged reimaging
�ܲ�·��a�� adjective

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of image¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English from Old French image, imagene ( -ene apparently construed as suffix) from Latin ��岵��-, stem of ��岵ō “a copy, likeness,” equivalent to im- ( imitate ) + -�岵ō noun suffix; (verb) Middle English: “to form a mental picture” from Old French imagier, derivative of image

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of image¹

C13: from Old French imagene, from Latin ��岵ō copy, representation; related to Latin ��ī to imitate

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Idioms and Phrases

see spitting image .

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Synonym Study

Image, icon, idol refer to material representations of persons or things. An image is a representation as in a statue or effigy, and is sometimes regarded as an object of worship: to set up an image of Apollo; an image of a saint. An icon, in the Greek or Eastern Orthodox Church, is a representation of Christ, an angel, or a saint, in painting, relief, mosaic, or the like: At least two icons are found in each church. An idol is an image, statue, or the like representing a deity and worshiped as such: a wooden idol; The heathen worship idols. It may be used figuratively: to make an idol of wealth.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He was in the thick of it – gas mask on – when he took some of the most iconic images of the night.

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"I don't think you could talk to a professional astronomer, an observer, who hasn't had satellites go through their images lately," Lowenthal said.

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We were trying to get a record deal, and nobody would sign us: “You don’t have an image,” “You guys aren’t punk enough,” “You’re not metal enough.”

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The image that Trump painted of America and our future was far different from the one we saw in the U.S.

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The biggest applause came for the last image: Sanders’ new business card for the private practice he’s starting.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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