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

The 11-inch model packs a resolution of 2,360 by 1,640 pixels for a density of 264 pixels per inch (ppi), while the 13-inch model has a resolution of 2,732 by 2,048 pixels at the same 264ppi density. —PCMAG, 20 Mar. 2025

Davis used an encoding scheme to translate the image, which was five pixels by seven, into a sequence of eighteen bases. —Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2025

From a distance, the little domes act like pixels, forming a pattern of ghost windows that don’t quite align with the actual ones, like traces of a vanished city that haunts its own replacement. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 5 Mar. 2025

After passing through enough layers, the final layer is read and transformed into an output, such as the identity of the pixels in an image that correspond to a cat. —Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 3 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