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
Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 11 Feb. 2026
Hadi tells an engaging story, brings complex and surprising characters to life, lends a locale an aesthetic iconography, and renders personal identity inextricable from the forces of history that shaped or deformed it.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
Yet, the iconography was primarily one of pride, not protest.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Director Wincer and scenarist Wittliff have created a big-hearted epic that sits tall in the saddle, a vivid video display of cowboy iconography that’s got the Emmy brand all over it, and that thrillingly shows how the West can be magnificently won by Hollywood.
—Miles Beller, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for iconography
Cite this Entry
“Iconography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/iconography. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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