depict

depict — verb

1. to create a visual or written picture of a person, object, or scene — for exampl

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to create a visual or written picture of a person, object, or scene — for example, painting a mountain landscape, photographing a city street, or describing a character's emotions in a story.

Example

The oil painting depicts three children playing by a stone bridge in autumn.

depict + noun phrase + present participle complement

Yusuf's novel vividly depicts the daily life of a fishing village in Ghana.

collocation: vividly depict

Common collocations
  • depict accurately
  • depict vividly
  • depict graphically
  • depict as
  • depict in
  • widely depicted
  • commonly depicted
Synonyms
  • portray

    more deliberate and detailed, often about personality or character rather than just appearance

  • represent

    broader and more neutral; can mean standing for something symbolically, not necessarily visually

  • illustrate

    emphasizes clarifying or explaining through images or examples; often used in educational contexts

Antonyms
  • conceal

    to keep from being seen or known

  • misrepresent

    to give a false or misleading picture of someone or something

Grammar Patterns

depict + noun phrase

depict + noun phrase + as + noun phrase

depict + how/wh-clause

Usage Note

Commonly used with a passive structure ('is depicted as') when describing how someone or something is presented from a particular point of view. The subject is typically a visual medium (painting, photograph, film) or a written account (novel, report, memoir).

Common Mistakes

The photo depicts about a street market in Bangkok.
The photo depicts a street market in Bangkok.
'Depict' takes a direct object without a preposition.
The article depicts the problem' (when meaning only talking about it).
The article depicts the living conditions of factory workers.
'Depict' implies giving a detailed picture, not just mentioning a topic.

Word family

  • depiction
    nounB2
  • depictive
    adjectiveC1
  • depictor
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Depict, portray, represent, and illustrate all involve showing something through images or words, but they differ in focus. Depict is the most general — it simply means to present a visual or written image of a scene, person, or event. Portray suggests deeper attention to character or personality, often implying interpretation. Represent is broader and more abstract; a flag can represent a country. Illustrate focuses on clarifying or explaining, typically with supporting images or examples. In everyday use, 'the drawing depicts a horse' states what the picture shows, while 'the artist portrays the horse as wild and free' adds a layer of interpretation. 'The teacher illustrated the life cycle with a diagram' emphasizes explanation rather than mere depiction.

depict ↗portray ↗represent ↗illustrate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • depict life in
  • depict the story of
  • depict a scene from

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Depict comes from Latin 'depictus', the past participle of 'depingere' (de- 'down, thoroughly' + pingere 'to paint'). It entered English in the 1400s with the literal meaning 'to paint or portray.' Over time it developed a broader sense that includes describing with words.