English Reference

Word

pixel

Phoneticspix·el

US/ˈpɪksəɫ/

UK/pˈɪksəl/

Definitions

01a dot of color

B1 · Computing

n. one of the tiny dots of color that make up an image on a screen.

n. the smallest addressable element in a raster image or on a display device.

“If you look very closely at your phone screen, you can almost see the individual pixels.”

“Modern high-resolution displays pack millions of pixels into a small area, making the transition between colors appear perfectly smooth to the human eye.”

Technical

Synonyms

02a unit of measurement

B2 · Computing

n. a unit used to measure the size or sharpness of a screen or digital image.

n. a unit of linear or area measurement used to define the resolution of digital displays and graphic files.

“The designer resized the logo to be exactly 200 pixels wide.”

“The developer adjusted the CSS to ensure the container width was defined in pixels rather than percentages for more precise layout control.”

Technical

Synonyms

px

03to edit at the pixel level

C1 · Computing

v. to create or change a digital image by working on each tiny dot one by one.

v. to create, manipulate, or edit digital graphics at the level of individual pixels, often associated with 'pixel art'.

“She spent hours carefully pixeling the character for her retro-style video game.”

“The artist preferred pixeling by hand rather than using automated filters to achieve a more authentic 8-bit aesthetic for the project.”

Technical

Idioms

pixel peeper — A person who carefully scrutinizes a magnified digital photograph in order to evaluate resolution and image quality.

Domain

Computing

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/pixel

English Reference