Synonyms for illustration
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Instance — something which illustrates; a comparison or example intended to make clear or apprehensible, or to remove…
example, instance, case in point, sample, exemplar, representative, specimen, exponent
2. Explanation
Other
picture, exemplification, figure, imagery, demonstration, icon, show
Definitions
- n. 1
Something which illustrates; a comparison or example intended to make clear or apprehensible, or to remove obscurity.
- n. 2
The act of illustrating; the act of making clear and distinct.
Related words
- Phrases
- illustration board
Forms
- Plural
- illustrations → examples, instances, samples, exemplars…
Choose the right word
Any comparison, analogy, instance, example, tale, anecdote, or the like which serves to let in light upon a subject may be called an illustration, this word in its widest use including all the rest.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- instance For instance, "delight" is the opposite of "sorrow."
- sample We would now like to have some sample flashlights.
- explanation We shouldn't accept his explanation at face value.
- picture It is the most artistic picture I have ever taken.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| illustration | steady | |
| instance | steady | |
| sample | falling | |
| exemplar | rising | |
| explanation | steady | |
| explication | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- show1, icon2
- 5 letters
- light1
- 6 letters
- figure2, sample2
- 7 letters
- example3, picture2, imagery3
- 8 letters
- instance2, specimen3, exponent3, exemplar3
- 11 letters
- explanation4, elucidation, explication4
- 13 letters
- demonstration4
- 14 letters
- representative5
- 15 letters
- exemplification
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (icon2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- illustration
- Italiano
- illustrazione
- Deutsch
- Abbildung