Iconography
noun /ˌʌɪkəˈnɒɡrəfi/ — The symbolic visual language embedded in an artwork.
Definition
The visual images, symbols, and themes used in a work of art; the study of these images and their conventional meanings — the grammar of visual symbol.
Beyond the definition
To read a medieval altarpiece without knowing its iconography is to read a language you do not speak — the lamb, the lily, the wounds, the colors all mean something precise. Learning iconography is learning to look at an image the way its maker intended.
Origin & history
From Greek eikon (image, portrait) + graphia (writing, description). Used in art history to describe the study of symbols and conventions in religious and secular art.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Without knowledge of Christian iconography, the symbolism of the altarpiece remains invisible.
The film built its own iconography over six seasons — certain images accumulated meaning like deposits.
She spent a year studying the iconography of Byzantine art before understanding what she was looking at.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Iconography” when the meaning fits your context: The visual images, symbols, and themes used in a work of art; the study of these images and their conventional meanings — the grammar of visual symbol.
Synonyms
symbolic imagery, visual symbolism, visual language
Antonyms
abstraction, pure form
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Stone Griffin Statue Guarding
A weathered stone griffin statue with eagle and lion features sits near a garden bridge, covered in moss.
The griffin is a clear example of iconography—a visual symbol with conventional meanings. Its combined eagle and lion features act as the grammar of a visual symbol, representing guardianship and power in a way that is immediately understood through visual art traditions.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Iconography" mean?
Iconography is noun meaning: The symbolic visual language embedded in an artwork.. The visual images, symbols, and themes used in a work of art; the study of these images and their conventional meanings — the grammar of visual symbol.
Where does the word "Iconography" come from?
From Greek eikon (image, portrait) + graphia (writing, description). Used in art history to describe the study of symbols and conventions in religious and secular art.