photographic

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Relating to photography or to photographs.

   Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: photographic equipment, photographic memory.

   Patterns

   • photographic equipment
   • photographic evidence
   • photographic memory

   The studio is full of photographic equipment.

   The police used photographic evidence to identify the suspect.

   She has a photographic memory and can recall pages of text.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Describing something that is very accurate and detailed, like a photograph.

   Grammar: Used before nouns like 'detail' or 'record' to mean extremely exact.

   Patterns

   • photographic detail
   • a photographic record

   The book gives a photographic account of the city's streets.

   His description was so photographic that I could picture the scene.

Common combinations

photographic memory

He has a photographic memory for names and faces.

photographic equipment

They packed all their photographic equipment for the expedition.

photographic evidence

The court accepted the photographic evidence.

photographic film

Some artists still prefer photographic film to digital cameras.

photographic detail

The painting shows photographic detail in every leaf.

Synonyms and how they differ

pictorial

Pictorial means related to pictures in general, including drawings; photographic is specifically about photographs.

vivid

Vivid describes something that produces clear, strong images in the mind; photographic suggests exact, camera-like accuracy.

Word family

photograph noun

A picture made with a camera.

photographer noun

A person who takes photographs.

photography noun

The art or activity of taking photographs.

Commonly confused: photographic or photogenic?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “photographic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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