Topography
noun /təˈpɒɡrəfi/ — The physical features of a landscape — its shape, contours, texture.
Definition
The arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area — hills, valleys, rivers, roads, elevation — and their study or representation; the detailed description or depiction of a place.
Beyond the definition
Topography is the specific physical character of a place — what makes Norfolk flat and dramatic in its own flatness, what makes San Francisco steep and disorienting. To understand a place's topography is to understand the shape it presses onto its inhabitants.
Origin & history
From Greek topographia, from topos (place) + graphia (writing, description). The writing of place — a detailed account of the physical features of a specific location.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The region's topography made agriculture difficult but wine-making exceptional.
She memorised the topography of the city before visiting — the map as preliminary introduction.
His face had the topography of long experience — hills and valleys of lived consequence.
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 “Topography” when the meaning fits your context: The arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area — hills, valleys, rivers, roads, elevation — and their study or representation; the detailed description or depiction of a place.
Synonyms
landscape, terrain, geography, physical features
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
Naturalist workbench beside hilly terrain
A workbench holding geological samples sits beside a cutaway cliff showing horizontal strata in the background.
The samples and the cutaway cliff represent the arrangement of physical features of an area, illustrating the study of the earth's elevation and structure.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Topography" mean?
Topography is noun meaning: The physical features of a landscape — its shape, contours, texture.. The arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area — hills, valleys, rivers, roads, elevation — and their study or representation; the detailed description or depiction of a place.
Where does the word "Topography" come from?
From Greek topographia, from topos (place) + graphia (writing, description). The writing of place — a detailed account of the physical features of a specific location.