photogenic

adjective

pho·​to·​ge·​nic ˌfō-tə-ˈje-nik  -ˈjē- 

1

: produced or precipitated by light

photogenic dermatitis

2

: producing or generating light : phosphorescent

photogenic bacteria

3

: suitable for being photographed especially because of visual appeal

a photogenic smile

photogenically

ˌfō-tə-ˈje-ni-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈjē-

adverb

Examples of photogenic in a Sentence

She's a very photogenic child.

This is the city's most photogenic park.

Recent Examples on the Web

Quickly capturing the attention of celebrities like Justin Bieber, Central Cee, and SZA, these patches evolved into a fun, Instagram-friendly statement, turning a once-private skincare ritual into a public, photogenic moment. —Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025

Beside geography, the photogenic group has other things in common. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025

Instead, head for these photogenic locations, some of the state’s best places to see wildflowers. —Mae Hamilton, AFAR Media, 25 Mar. 2025

To illustrate, Huang showed two models solving the same task: creating a wedding seating arrangement for 300 guests, factoring in tradition, photogenic angles, and family tensions. —Dan Runkevicius, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for photogenic

• allergenic
• androgenic
• antigenic
• authigenic
• autogenic
• biogenic
• bronchogenic
• chromogenic
• cryogenic
• echogenic
• estrogenic
• isogenic

Kids Definition

photogenic

adjective

pho·​to·​ge·​nic ˌfōt-ə-ˈjen-ik  -ˈjēn- 

: suitable for being photographed : likely to photograph well

a photogenic child

photogenically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

photogenic

adjective

pho·​to·​gen·​ic ˌfōt-ə-ˈjen-ik 

1

: produced or precipitated by light

photogenic epilepsy

photogenic dermatitis

2

: producing or generating light : phosphorescent

photogenic bacteria