photographic

photographic — adjective

1. connected with making pictures with a camera, or with things made that way.

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

connected with making pictures with a camera, or with things made that way.

Example

The museum opened a room for photographic prints from the 1930s.

collocation: photographic prints

Mina bought photographic paper before the school art project began.

collocation: photographic paper

Common collocations
  • photographic prints
  • photographic paper
  • photographic record
  • photographic equipment
Synonyms
  • photo

    shorter and more informal, especially before common nouns

  • camera

    narrower; usually describes equipment used to take pictures

  • visual

    much broader and not limited to photography

  • pictorial

    stresses picture content or illustrated style, not the camera process

Grammar Patterns

photographic + paper/print/image

photographic + record/evidence/equipment

Usage Note

Usually placed before nouns such as paper, print, record, evidence, and equipment. Distinguish from sense 2, which describes a very lifelike look rather than a link to camera work.

Common Mistakes

I need photo paper for this darkroom class.
I need photographic paper for this darkroom class.
before some technical nouns, 'photographic' is the more natural choice.

2. showing people or scenes with such true detail that it seems like a real photo.

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

showing people or scenes with such true detail that it seems like a real photo.

Example

The painted apples looked almost photographic on the white plate.

pattern: look + photographic

Jake said the pencil drawing looked photographic from across the room.

Common collocations
  • look photographic
  • photographic detail
  • almost photographic
  • photographic style
Synonyms
  • lifelike

    stresses that something looks close to real life

  • realistic

    broader and common for art, stories, and design

  • photo-realistic

    more technical; often used for digital art or games

  • detailed

    weaker; detail alone does not always create a photo-like effect

Antonyms
  • stylized

    shows a deliberate artistic look instead of photo-like realism

  • abstract

    moves away from showing people or objects as they look in real life

Grammar Patterns

look/seem photographic

photographic + detail/style

Usage Note

Most often used for art, film, animation, or visual detail that looks extremely true to life. Distinguish from sense 1, which simply means connected with photography as an activity or product.

Common Mistakes

The drawing was very photo.
The drawing looked photographic.
use 'photographic' as the adjective for a photo-like visual effect.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For adjective/1, photographic is the best choice when something is linked to the practice or products of photography, especially in careful or technical English: photographic paper, photographic record, photographic evidence. Photo can replace it before some nouns in everyday speech, but it sounds shorter and less formal, as in photo album or photo editor. Camera is narrower and usually points to equipment for taking pictures, not to prints or records. Visual is much broader, because it can describe anything seen, including charts or screen design. Pictorial stresses pictures or illustration, not the photographic process itself. Compare photographic evidence, a photo album, a camera bag, and visual instructions.

photo ↗camera ↗visual ↗pictorial

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

Photographic was formed in English from photograph and the adjective ending -ic. The older word photograph comes through French from Greek parts meaning 'light' and 'write or draw'. At first, photographic simply meant connected with making pictures by light; later it also came to describe art or images that look as exact as a photograph.