An illustration is an example or a story which is used to make a point clear.
...a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences. [+ of]
2. countable noun
An illustration in a book is a picture, design, or diagram.
She looked like a princess in a nineteenth-century illustration.
Synonyms: picture, drawing, painting, image More Synonyms of illustration
3. See also illustrate
More Synonyms of illustration
illustration in British English
(ˌɪləˈstreɪʃən)
noun
1.
pictorial matter used to explain or decorate a text
2.
an example or demonstration
an illustration of his ability
3.
the act of illustrating or the state of being illustrated
Derived forms
illustrational (ˌillusˈtrational)
adjective
illustration in American English
(ˌɪləˈstreɪʃən)
noun
1.
an illustrating or being illustrated
2.
an example, story, analogy, etc. used to help explain or make something clear
3.
a picture, design, diagram, etc. used to decorate or explain something
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈinstance
Derived forms
illustrational (ˌillusˈtrational)
adjective
Word origin
ME illustracione < OFr illustration < L illustratio
COBUILD Collocations
illustration
book illustration
graphic illustration
perfect illustration
vivid illustration
Examples of 'illustration' in a sentence
illustration
And 2004 was a perfect illustration of preparing badly?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But yesterday's operation provided a stark illustration of the force involved if players have to leave the ground in an emergency.
The Sun (2016)
This match was the perfect illustration of the value of momentum and the confidence it brings.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The four programmes were like an illustration or distillation of this history.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
But when does an illustration get too long?
Christianity Today (2000)
We have provided many illustrations to teach technique.
Bloom, Carol & Gitter, Andrea (contributor) & Gutwill, Susan (contributor) & Kogel,Laura (contributor) & Zaphiropoulos, Lela (contributor) Eating Problems: A Feminist Psychoanalytic Treatment Model (1994)
There are helpful illustrations and diagrams as well.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The other important feature of the book is its illustrations.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
There are few more perfect illustrations of the teenage itch.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It was like an illustration from a fairytale.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Our featured deal provides a further illustration.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Some additional illustrations would probably make the change clearer.
Bee, Helen The Developing Child (7th edn.) (1995)
An interactive activity book of beautiful illustrations.
The Sun (2014)
Support this with specific examples and illustrations.
Bachmann, Susan (editor) & Barth, Melinda Between Worlds: A Reader, Rhetoric and Handbook (1995)
Yesterday offered a perfect illustration why.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Only in magazine illustrations are designs uninhabited, a practice that has been much criticized.
Abercrombie, Stanley A Philosophy of Interior Design (1990)
There is no clearer illustration of this than what happened on her 16th birthday.
The Sun (2014)
Beautiful photographs, maps and illustrations accompany the text.
The Sun (2014)
All of us who were trained in the plastic arts before computers have noticed that the nature of design and illustration has changed.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
A clear illustration of this can be seen in the "new railway revolution" in Europe.
Tom Cannon Basic Marketing. Principles and Practice (1986)
The two volumes also reproduce (in a small format) all the original illustrations.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
OK, some are of middle-aged men bending over but there are illustrations and diagrams and photos of exciting parts.
The Sun (2012)
Word lists with
illustration
parts of a book
In other languages
illustration
British English: illustration /ˌɪləˈstreɪʃən/ NOUN
An illustration of something is a clear example of it.
The scandal was an illustration of everything that was wrong with the parliamentary system.
American English: illustration
Arabic: إِيضَاحٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: ilustração
Chinese: 例证
Croatian: ilustracija
Czech: ilustrace
Danish: illustration
Dutch: illustratie
European Spanish: ilustración
Finnish: kuvitus
French: illustration
German: Illustration
Greek: εικονογράφηση
Italian: illustrazione
Japanese: 挿絵
Korean: 삽화
Norwegian: illustrasjon
Polish: ilustracja
European Portuguese: ilustração
Romanian: ilustrare
Russian: иллюстрация
Latin American Spanish: ilustración
Swedish: illustrering
Thai: ภาพประกอบ
Turkish: resimleme kitabı
Ukrainian: ілюстрація
Vietnamese: sự minh họa
Chinese translation of 'illustration'
illustration
(ɪləˈstreɪʃən)
n
(c) (= picture) 插图(圖) (chātú) (幅, fú)
(c/u) (= example) 实(實)例 (shílì) (个(個), gè)
1 (noun)
Definition
an example
These figures are an illustration of the country's dynamism.
Synonyms
example
examples of sexism and racism in society
case
Some cases of arthritis respond to a gluten-free diet.
instance
a serious instance of corruption
sample
We're giving away 2000 free samples.
explanation
his lucid explanation of the mysteries of cricket
demonstration
physical demonstrations of affection
interpretation
the interpretation of the scriptures
specimen
a perfect specimen of a dinosaur fossil
analogy
clarification
I have written to the union asking for clarification of my position.
case in point
exemplar
One of the wittiest exemplars of the technique was M.C. Escher.
elucidation
a work devoted to the elucidation of James Joyce's greatest novel
exemplification
2 (noun)
Definition
a picture or diagram used to explain or decorate a text
He made his illustrations of birds as he travelled in America.
Synonyms
picture
drawing a small picture with coloured chalks
drawing
She did a drawing of me.
painting
a large oil-painting of Queen Victoria
image
All people want to see is an image on the TV screen.
print
Hogarth's famous series of prints
plate
The book has 55 colour plates.
figure
Figure 26 shows a small circular garden of herbs.
portrait
oversize portraits of royal ancestors
representation
a life-like representation of Christ
sketch
a sketch of a soldier
decoration
portrayal
a near-monochrome portrayal of a wood infused with silvery light
likeness
The museum displays wax likenesses of every U.S. president.
adornment
Additional synonyms
in the sense of case
Definition
a single instance or example of something
Some cases of arthritis respond to a gluten-free diet.
Synonyms
instance,
example,
occasion,
specimen,
occurrence
in the sense of clarification
I have written to the union asking for clarification of my position.