Meaning & use
graphic
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Showing something in clear and often shocking detail, especially violence or sex.
Grammar: Gradable: more graphic, most graphic; often used in warnings about content.
Patterns
- graphic violence
- graphic images
- graphic description
The film contains graphic scenes of violence.
The report gave a graphic account of the accident.
Viewer discretion is advised due to graphic content.
adjectivebefore a noun
Relating to visual art, especially drawing, painting, or design.
Grammar: Used before a noun: graphic design, graphic artist.
Patterns
- graphic design
- graphic artist
- graphic novel
She studied graphic design at college.
The graphic novel tells a complex story through pictures.
He works as a graphic artist for a magazine.
nouncountable
A picture, diagram, or other visual image, especially one in a book or on a screen.
Grammar: Countable: a graphic, two graphics; often used in plural for computer images.
Patterns
- computer graphics
- a graphic on the screen
- add a graphic
The infographic uses colorful graphics to explain the data.
The website loads slowly because of all the graphics.
He added a graphic to illustrate the point.
Word forms
| comparative | more graphic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most graphic |
| plural | graphics |
Common combinations
- graphic violence
- The game was banned for its graphic violence.
- graphic design
- She has a degree in graphic design.
- graphic content
- The news channel warned viewers about graphic content.
- computer graphics
- The movie uses stunning computer graphics.
Synonyms and how they differ
- vivid
- Vivid means producing strong, clear images in the mind; it can describe pleasant things, while graphic often suggests something unpleasant or shocking.
- explicit
- Explicit means stated clearly and openly, often about sex; graphic emphasizes detailed, realistic description, especially of violence.
- visual
- Visual simply relates to seeing; graphic is more specific, referring to pictures or design.
Opposites
Word family
- graphically adverb
- In a graphic manner; vividly or explicitly.
- graphics noun
- Visual images or designs, especially on a computer.
Commonly confused: graphic or graphical?
graphic vs graphical
Graphical means relating to drawing or diagrams (e.g., graphical user interface), while graphic often means vividly explicit or relating to visual art.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'graphic' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Graphic violence' is a common collocation meaning explicit, shocking violence. 'Graphic dress' is not natural; 'graphic' as a noun is a visual image, not something you eat; and 'graphic tone' does not make sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “graphic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.