Meaning & use
depicting
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“depicting” is a form of “depict”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Showing a person, scene, or thing in a picture, carving, photograph, or similar visual work.
Grammar: Takes an object: a mural depicting a harvest.
Patterns
- depicting something
- depicting someone as something
The stained-glass window is depicting a ship caught in a storm.
She spent the winter painting a series of canvases depicting her grandmother's village.
The coin shows a profile depicting the king in his youth.
verbtransitive
Describing or portraying someone or something in words, film, or music so that the audience gets a particular impression.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with as: depicting him as a coward.
Patterns
- depicting something as something
- depicting how/what clause
The novel is depicting life in a mining town with unusual honesty.
Critics complained that the film was depicting teenagers as lazy and selfish.
In her essay she keeps depicting the war as a personal tragedy rather than a political event.
Word forms
| base form | depict |
|---|---|
| third person singular | depicts |
| past tense | depicted |
| -ing form | depicting |
Common combinations
- a painting depicting
- He bought a painting depicting a quiet harbor at dawn.
- accurately depicting
- The documentary succeeds in accurately depicting daily life on the farm.
- depicting scenes of
- The walls are covered in carvings depicting scenes of hunting.
- depicting someone as
- The cartoon was criticized for depicting the mayor as a clown.
- vividly depicting
- Her memoir is vividly depicting the noise and smells of the market.
Synonyms and how they differ
- portraying
- Portraying is very close, but it is more often used for actors or writers shaping a character's personality, while depicting leans toward showing the look of a scene.
- representing
- Representing is broader and can mean standing for an idea, whereas depicting means actually showing something in a picture or description.
- illustrating
- Illustrating suggests adding pictures to explain a text or point, while depicting simply means showing the subject itself.
- describing
- Describing is usually done in words only, so it is weaker than depicting when a visual or vivid image is intended.
Word family
Commonly confused: depicting or depicting vs. deploying?
depicting vs depicting vs. deploying
Deploying means putting something such as troops or software into use; it has nothing to do with showing an image.
Practice
The museum has a tapestry ___ a royal wedding from the fifteenth century.
Choose one answer.
Depicting means showing something in a picture or weaving. Deploying means putting into use, which does not fit a tapestry.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “depicting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.