pixel

American  

[pik-suhl, -sel] / ˈpɪk səl, -sɛl /

noun

Computers, Television.

1. the smallest element of an image that can be individually processed in a video display system.

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pixel British  

/ ˈpɪksəl /

noun

1. any of a number of very small picture elements that make up a picture, as on a visual display unit

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pixel Scientific  

/ pĭk′səl /

1. The most basic unit of an image displayed on a computer or television screen or on a printer. Pixels are generally arranged in rows and columns; a given combination among the pixels of various brightness and color values forms an image.

2. ◆ A subpixel is one of three components of a pixel used in the representation of a color image. Each subpixel represents the contribution of a single color—red, green, or blue—to the overall color and brightness of the pixel.

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Closer Look

The images on a computer screen are composed of tiny dots called pixels (short for picture element). The computer controls each pixel individually. Most monitors have hundreds of thousands, or often millions, of pixels that are lit or dimmed to create an image. Each pixel of a color screen is made out of one red, one blue, and one green subpixel, generally arranged in a triangle, adjusted individually to create the combined effect of a single color but treated as a unit pixel for determining resolution. Pixels vary in size according to the size and resolution of the monitor. Smaller pixels provide higher resolution, and therefore sharper images, but require more memory to store the color and intensity data of each pixel and more processing time to refresh the screen. Resolution is frequently referred to in terms of dpi, or dots per inch.

Etymology

Origin of pixel

1965–70; pix ² (in the sense “pictures”) + el(ement)

Explanation

A pixel is one of the small dots or squares that make up an image on a computer screen. The more pixels there are, the more the image looks real or accurate. Any digital image is made up of pixels, and when someone talks about the resolution of a computer monitor or TV screen, they're referring to the number of pixels. Older televisions have around 300,000 pixels, but new high-definition TVs can have more than two million pixels, which produces a very sharp, clear image. The word pixel came from pictures, or pics, and element, and was coined in 1969.

Example Sentences

Using specially designed optical antennas, the team has built what they describe as the smallest pixel ever created.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026

Also in here, albeit in a retro, pixel art style that may bring to mind the “Final Fantasy” series from its Super Nintendo days.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

While often in a retro pixel art style, at times the game shifted into a more modern open-world look.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

With this physics-reinforced method, the team generated satellite images around Houston that depict the same flood extent, pixel by pixel, as forecasted by the flood model.

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 2024

Many convergent lines are drawn on a color monitor in such a way that every pixel struck has its color incremented.

From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Steele, Guy L.