What does "illustration" mean?

The act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct.

What is a synonym for "illustration"?

Common synonyms include: example, exemplification, figure, epitome, abstract, abstraction.

Pronounced //ˌɪl.əˈstɹeɪ.ʃən//.

//ˌɪl.əˈstɹeɪ.ʃən// noun

noun ·Common ·High school level

Noun

1
The act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct. countable, uncountable
2
a visual representation (a picture or diagram) that is used to make some subject more pleasing or easier to understand wordnet
3
The state of being illustrated, or of being made clear and distinct. countable, uncountable
4
an item of information that is typical of a class or group wordnet
5
Something which illustrates; a comparison or example intended to make clear or apprehensible, or to remove obscurity. countable, uncountable
"England will regard it as a measure of justice for Frank Lampard's disallowed goal against Germany in Bloemfontein at the 2010 World Cup - but it was also an illustration of how they rode their luck for long periods in front of a predictably partisan home crowd."

Show 4 more definitions

6
showing by example wordnet
7
A picture designed to decorate a publication, or elucidate a literary work. countable, uncountable
"The illustration showing the water cycle made it much easier to understand for the children."
8
artwork that helps make something clear or attractive wordnet
9
A calculated prevision of insurance premiums and returns (life insurance) countable, uncountable

"An illustration may make the point clear."

From Middle French illustration, from Latin illūstrātiō, from illūstrō (“I illustrate”). By surface analysis, illustrate + -ion.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.