iconography
noun
Did you know?
If you saw a 17th-century painting of a man writing at a desk with a lion at his feet, would you know you were looking at St. Jerome, translator of the Bible, who, according to legend, once pulled a thorn from the paw of a lion, which thereafter became his devoted friend? And if a painting showed a young woman reclining on a bed with a shower of gold descending on her, would you recognize her as Danaë, locked up in a tower to keep her away from the lustful Zeus, who then managed to gain access to her by transforming himself into golden light (or golden coins)? An iconographic approach to art can make museum-going a lot of fun—and amateur iconographers know there are also plenty of symbols lurking in the images that advertisers bombard us with daily.
Examples of iconography in a Sentence
ArsTechnica, 15 Sep. 2025
At the same time, Doctor Sleep is embracing a lot of the Kubrick film's iconography, and the return to the Overlook is an invention for the film that almost retroactively gives The Shining the big-screen ending King wanted.
—James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Local reporting says accounts believed to be linked to Holly contained references to mass shootings and antisemitic material, and a Denver Post report described imagery and slogans resembling past white supremacist iconography.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Sterling, in coordination with Dickey and a brand committee, compiled various Boise iconographies and sent them to Villareal to come up with a design.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for iconography
Cite this Entry
“Iconography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iconography. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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