mural

mural — noun

1. a large piece of artwork that is painted or applied directly onto a wall, ceilin

1.nounB1
Definition

a large piece of artwork that is painted or applied directly onto a wall, ceiling, or other permanent surface, often in a public area

Example

The artist Nila spent weeks painting a colorful mural on the library wall.

paint + a mural + on [surface]

A large mural of a whale now covers the wall of the old fish market.

mural of + [subject/theme]

Common collocations
  • paint a mural
  • create a mural
  • a mural depicts / shows / covers
  • outdoor mural
  • public mural
  • mural project
  • mural artist
Synonyms
  • wall painting

    a more general, less formal term for any painting done on a wall

  • fresco

    a specific technique where paint is applied to wet plaster, common in historical European art; not a synonym for all murals

  • graffiti

    often smaller, more personal, and done without permission; can overlap with mural in street art contexts but has different connotations of spontaneity

Usage Note

Frequently describes public or community art displayed outdoors. The countable noun form is far more common than the adjective form.

Common Mistakes

He painted a mural on a piece of paper.
He painted a mural on a wall.
A mural is created directly on a wall or large permanent surface, not on a movable surface like paper or canvas.

mural — adjective

Word family

  • muralist
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Mural is the broadest term for any large artwork applied directly to a wall. Fresco refers to a specific Renaissance technique where pigment is mixed with wet plaster — not all murals are frescoes. Wall painting is a neutral, informal term that covers any painted decoration on a wall, regardless of scale or technique. Graffiti overlaps with mural in street art contexts, but graffiti tends to be more personal, spontaneous, and often done without permission, while a mural is typically planned, larger, and commissioned. For example: 'The bank paid an artist to paint a mural on its outer wall,' but 'Teenagers left graffiti on the back of the same building at night.'

mural ↗frescowall paintinggraffiti

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • work of art
  • piece of art

Prepositions

  • on a wall
  • on a ceiling
  • by an artist

Etymology

LatinItalianEnglish

The word 'mural' comes from the Latin 'murus', meaning 'wall'. It entered English through Italian 'murale' (a wall painting) and was used as an art term from the early 20th century. The noun use grew popular in the 1930s during the Mexican muralism movement, when large public wall paintings became a form of social and political expression.