visual

[vizh-oo-uh l] /ˈvɪʒ u əl/

adjective

of or pertaining to seeing or sight:

a visual image.

used in seeing:

the visual sense.

optical.

perceptible by the sense of sight; visible:

a visual beauty.

perceptible by the mind; of the nature of a mental vision:

a visual impression captured in a line of verse.

noun

Usually, visuals.

the picture elements, as distinguished from the sound elements, in films, television, etc.
photographs, slides, films, charts, or other visual materials, especially as used for illustration or promotion.
Compare audio, video.

a rough, preliminary sketch of an advertising layout, showing possible arrangements of material.

Compare comprehensive (def 5).

any item or element depending on the sense of sight.

Origin

1375-1425; late Middle English < Late Latin vīsuālis, equivalent to vīsu(s) sight (vid(ēre) to see + -tus suffix of v. action, with dt > s) + -ālis -al¹

Related forms

nonvisual, adjective

subvisual, adjective, noun

supervisual, adjective

supervisually, adverb

unvisual, adjective

unvisually, adverb

Can be confused

visible, visual.

Examples from the web for visual

In animals with forward-facing eyes, this visual overlap is what creates stereo vision and thus depth perception.
But simply piling on the pixels will not be enough to match the rich visual experience of human eyes.
The two approaches, visual studies and art history, create a kind of unstable oil-and-water mixture in academic writing.
His studies suggest that one small area of the brain's visual system is particularly activated by the written word.
Players of video games develop exceptional visual skills, researchers have found.
For some, visual movement triggers a perception of sound.
The carapace may be smooth and patterned, or decked with such visual disarray that it resembles an algae-encrusted rock.
Vegetables in containers add visual punch to the landscape.
Both have been redesigned with an eye toward visual impact.
The mirror was giving visual feedback that the sensory cortex was interpreting as a real hand.

British Dictionary definitions for visual

visual

/ˈvɪʒʊəl; -zjʊ-/

adjective

of, relating to, done by, or used in seeing: visual powers, visual steering

another word for optical

capable of being seen; visible

of, occurring as, or induced by a mental image

noun

a sketch to show the proposed layout of an advertisement, as in a newspaper

(often pl) a photograph, film, or other display material

Derived Forms

visually, adverb

Word Origin

C15: from Late Latin vīsuālis, from Latin vīsus sight, from vidēre to see

Word Origin and History for visual

adj.

early 15c., "coming from the eye or sight" (as a beam of light), from Late Latin visualis "of sight," from Latin visus "sight," from visus, past participle of videre "to see" (see vision). Meaning "relating to vision" is first attested c.1600. The noun meaning "photographic film or other visual display" is first recorded 1951.

visual in Medicine

visual vi·su·al (vĭzh'ōō-əl)
adj.

Of or relating to the sense of sight.
Seen or able to be seen by the eye; visible.
Optical.