pixel

noun

pix·​el ˈpik-səl 

-ˌsel

plural pixels

1

: any of the small discrete elements that together constitute an image (as on a television or digital screen)

If the ball is flying from left to right across a video screen, a pixel at one fixed location on the screen will get darker and darker as time ticks on because it depicts points farther and farther to the left on the ball.

—Frédo Durand et al.

2

: any of the detecting elements of a solid-state optical sensor (such as a CCD or CMOS device)

The team used a new CCD detector that has an 8,192 by 8,192 pixel array, which makes it the world's largest astronomical CCD.

—Astronomy

the … CMOS image sensor provides a 9-µm pixel size …

—Mathew Dirjish

Did you know?

Is it pixelated or pixilated?

Pixelated is used to describe digital images in which individual pixels are discernable, as when you look closely at a large photo and can see the tiny dots that make up the image. Pixilated (coined from pixie, a pixie being a cheerful, mischievous sprite) is usually used to describe things considered whimsical, or people who seem dazed or lost in thought. While pixelated is a late 20th century coinage, pixilated has been in use since the mid-19th century.

Examples of pixel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s more than double the number of pixels and a slightly wider viewing angle than in the Even G1 (640 by 200 pixels, 25 degrees). —PC Magazine, 11 Apr. 2025

The team tried three methods of encoding the data, which differed in terms of how the pixels of the images were sliced up and how many qubits the resulting slices were sent to. —John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 11 Apr. 2025

Scientists in China have created a new type of display with the smallest pixels and the highest pixel density ever. —Michael Irving, New Atlas, 30 Mar. 2025

All of them analyze the input video stream and use neural networks to synthesize a realistic facial model: for instance, pixel codec avatars, as presented in research by Shugao Ma et al. —Victor Erukhimov, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

pix + element

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pixel

noun

pix·​el ˈpik-səl 

-ˌsel

: any of the small elements that together make up an image (as on a television screen) or sensor (as in a camera)

Etymology

from pix, an altered form of pictures, and element