diorama

American  

[dahy-uh-ram-uh, -rah-muh] / ˌdaɪ əˈræm ə, -ˈrɑ mə /

noun

1. a scene, often in miniature, reproduced in three dimensions by placing objects, figures, etc., in front of a painted background.

2. a life-size display representing a scene from nature, a historical event, or the like, using stuffed wildlife, wax figures, real objects, etc., in front of a painted or photographed background.

3. a spectacular picture, partly translucent, for exhibition through an aperture, made more realistic by various illuminating devices.

4. a building or room, often circular, for exhibiting such a scene or picture, especially as a continuous unit along or against the walls.

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diorama British  

/ ˌdaɪəˈrɑːmə, ˌdaɪəˈræmɪk /

noun

1. a miniature three-dimensional scene, in which models of figures are seen against a background

2. a picture made up of illuminated translucent curtains, viewed through an aperture

3. a museum display, as of an animal, of a specimen in its natural setting

4. films a scene produced by the rearrangement of lighting effects

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Other Word Forms

• dioramic adjective

Etymology

Origin of diorama

1815–25; < French, equivalent to di- di- ³ + Greek ( h ) órāma view ( horā-, variant stem of horân to see, look + -ma noun suffix denoting the result of action)

Explanation

If you use a shoebox and tiny toys to recreate the Battle of Normandy, you are creating a diorama, or three-dimensional model, of the event. At the Museum of Natural History in New York, you'll see dioramas, or scenes of animals or ancient peoples in their habitats. Before things like movies, television, and computers became common, the best way for large numbers of people to get an idea of what a lion might look like devouring its prey was by diorama.

Example Sentences

In a diorama pitting the carnivorous Acrocanthosaurus against the massive plant-eating Astrodon, it is the larger sauropod that triumphs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2025

These overlays preserved the integrity of the original diorama as an artifact and opened up conversations about its political and racial history.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2024

Did you ever have to make a shoe box diorama about your a favorite book?

From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2024

Explaining the absence of Wes Anderson, who won best live action short for “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” Kimmel noted that Anderson was at home, “building a diorama out of corduroy.”

From Seattle Times • Mar. 10, 2024

Either way, everyone on the raft oohed and aahed as the bubbles of mist surrounding us swirled and stretched into a diorama.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia