Meaning & use
Foreshorten
Last updated
To represent an object or part of a figure as shorter than it actually is in order to create the illusion of depth or perspective; more generally, to make something appear shorter or more compressed.
See it in a sentence
The artist foreshortened the outstretched arm so it seemed to reach toward the viewer.
The editing foreshortened the decade-long saga into a tense two-hour film.
A note on using this word
Most associated with drawing and painting, where foreshortening tricks the eye into perceiving three-dimensional depth on a flat surface.
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