iconography

[ ahy-kuh-nog-ruh-fee ]

/ ˌaɪ kəˈnɒg rə fi /

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See synonyms for iconography on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural i·co·nog·ra·phies.

symbolic representation, especially the conventional meanings attached to an image or images.

subject matter in the visual arts, especially with reference to the conventions regarding the treatment of a subject in artistic representation.

the study or analysis of subject matter and its meaning in the visual arts; iconology.

a representation or a group of representations of a person, place, or thing, as a portrait or a collection of portraits.

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Origin of iconography

1620–30; <Medieval Latin īconographia<Greek eikonographía.See icono-, -graphy

OTHER WORDS FROM iconography

i·con·o·graph

[ahy-kon-uh-graf, -grahf], /aɪˈkɒn əˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf/, nouni·co·nog·ra·pher, noun

Words nearby iconography

icono-, iconoclasm, iconoclast, iconoclastic, iconographic, iconography, iconolatry, iconology, iconomatic, iconophile, iconoscope

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use iconography in a sentence

Humans have used symbols and iconography to communicate and identify things going back to when cave people made the first drawings on the cave walls.
Opinion | Pink triangle: reclaiming a symbol of hate|Anthony Eaton|May 21, 2021|Washington Blade
The green movement’s effort to take down past iconography and poke holes in the legacy of towering figures like Muir is important, but it’s only symbolic until power, money, and representation are diversified.
How Environmentalism Can Center Racial Justice in 2021|Heather Hansman|January 29, 2021|Outside Online
This probably puts some amount of pressure on other teams using native names and iconography — most notably the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Secret To Winning Is Not To Play|Sarah Shachat|December 15, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
“As customers enter the store, they are greeted with clean, colorful iconography and a store directory that encourages them to download and use the Walmart app while they shop,” said Walmart’s chief customer officer Janey Whiteside.
Walmart unveils new store design inspired by Amazon and airports|Phil Wahba|September 30, 2020|Fortune

That all-American iconography has always been so potent in the Superman myth.
Christopher Nolan Uncut: On ‘Interstellar,’ Ben Affleck’s Batman, and the Future of Mankind|Marlow Stern|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some of stars profiled in this book were so representative of a time that their very iconography subsumed them whole.
Why We Need Celebrity Scandals|Jessica Ferri|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The West trades on its iconography, and many writers satisfy the hunger for that epic, legendary place.
Book Bag: Gritty Stories From the Real Montana|Carrie La Seur|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Niwemfite lives by herself, surrounded by stark walls taped with photos of Christian iconography.
After the Genocide, Rwanda’s Widows Aging Alone|Nina Strochlic|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not surprisingly, some of this motley symbolism harks back to Nazi iconography.
Alexander Dugin: The Crazy Ideologue of the New Russian Empire|Oleg Shynkarenko|April 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The history of engraving is a part of iconography, and various histories of the art exist in different languages.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6|Various
The mystery plays gave to the iconography of the late XV century its realistic character.
How France Built Her Cathedrals|Elizabeth Boyle O'Reilly
The best artists go astray when they fail to obtain their ideas of Christian iconography from a qualified ecclesiastic.
The Revolt of the Angels|Anatole France
For the whole of this period the royal iconography is much more scanty than for the two Theban empires.
A History of Art in Ancient Egypt, Vol. II (of 2)|Georges Perrot
For the scheme itself we must refer the reader to the second volume of Didron's Christian Iconography, p. 193.
Illuminated Manuscripts|John W. Bradley

British Dictionary definitions for iconography

iconography

/ (ˌaɪkɒˈnɒɡrəfɪ) /

noun plural -phies

the symbols used in a work of art or art movement
the conventional significance attached to such symbols

a collection of pictures of a particular subject, such as Christ

the representation of the subjects of icons or portraits, esp on coins

Derived forms of iconography

iconographer, nouniconographic (aɪˌkɒnəˈɡræfɪk) or iconographical, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

iconography

Origin of iconography

OTHER WORDS FROM iconography

Words nearby iconography

Words related to iconography

How to use iconography in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for iconography

Derived forms of iconography