Meaning & use
striking image
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Meanings
nouncountable
A picture or scene that strongly catches your attention, often because it is unusual, beautiful, or shocking.
Grammar: Countable; use a/an or the, and it can be plural: striking images.
Patterns
- a striking image of someone/something
- create/produce a striking image
The documentary opens with a striking image of a deserted city street at dawn.
Her photograph of the flooded village became a striking image that appeared on front pages worldwide.
The poet uses a striking image of a bird trapped in a glass room to suggest loneliness.
nouncountable
The way a person or product appears to other people, especially when it makes a strong impression.
Grammar: Often used with 'project' or 'present' when talking about public perception.
Patterns
- project a striking image
- a striking public image
The company projected a striking image of youth and innovation.
He works hard to maintain a striking image on social media.
Word forms
| plural | striking images |
|---|
Common combinations
- a striking visual image
- The report included a striking visual image of the melting glacier.
- a striking image of
- The cover shows a striking image of a child holding a lantern.
- create a striking image
- The director creates a striking image by filming in almost total darkness.
- a striking image that stays with you
- It is a striking image that stays with you long after the film ends.
Synonyms and how they differ
- powerful image
- Focuses on emotional or physical force rather than simply being noticeable.
- memorable image
- Emphasizes that it is easily remembered, not necessarily visually dramatic.
- vivid image
- Suggests clear, bright, lifelike details; a striking image can be simple or blurred.
Word family
- strikingly adverb
- In a way that is very noticeable: strikingly beautiful.
- strike verb
- To hit or to impress suddenly: the idea struck me.
Commonly confused: striking image or sticking image?
striking image vs sticking image
Not a standard phrase; 'sticking' means adhesive or fixed, while 'striking' means impressive.
Practice
The photograph was such a ___ image that it was reprinted in newspapers around the world.
Choose one answer.
'Striking' is the adjective needed before the noun 'image'. 'Stricken' means affected by something bad (e.g. grief-stricken), 'strikingly' is an adverb, and 'strike' is a verb or noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “striking image”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.