delineation

noun

de·​lin·​ea·​tion di-ˌli-nē-ˈā-shən 

dē-

1

: the act of outlining or representing something with lines or words : the act of delineating

the delineation of a scene

… the delineation of the territories allotted to the seven tribes of Israel …

—Adam Nicholson

2

: something made by delineating

a photographic delineation of low life

—T. S. Eliot

delineative

di-ˈli-nē-ˌā-tiv 

dē-

adjective

Synonyms

• cartoon
• drawing
• sketch

Examples of delineation in a Sentence

his simple but striking delineations of Dutch landscapes

a finely wrought delineation of a young woman's first experience with romantic love

Recent Examples on the Web

And also, that means that there's no delineation on what foods go when, like pie is equally well suited for 6:00 AM as 11:00 PM like mashed potatoes for breakfast kind of energy. —Bon Appétit, 11 Dec. 2024

The decision to take Ahmed off the roster, combined with Sunday’s trade of veteran outfielder Austin Slater to Cincinnati, marked a clear delineation for a team that has competed better in recent weeks yet continues to search for its identity while competing for an NL wild card. —Andrew Baggarly, The Athletic, 10 July 2024

Crypto policy advocates and investors would be well served to focus on establishing guardrails, frameworks, and delineations between the various sectors of the wider crypto marketplace. —Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024

Both Mitchell and Eales, now the face of the club’s executive arm, reached out to offer reassurances and to explain how the delineation of duties should work. —George Caulkin, The Athletic, 23 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin dēlīneātiōn-, dēlīneātiō "description," from Latin dēlīneāre "to trace the outline of, delineate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1