Word
vignette
Phoneticsvi·gnette
US/vinˈjɛt/
UK/vɪnjˈɛt/
Definition
n. a short, graceful description or scene that gives you a clear picture of a person or place. It can also be a small drawing or a photo where the edges slowly fade away.
n. a brief, evocative description, account, or episode that captures the essence of a subject. In visual contexts, refers to a small illustration or a photograph with edges that shade off into the surrounding paper.
Examples
“She wrote a short vignette about her childhood home.”
“The novel is not a single story but a series of vignettes that illustrate life in a small coastal village.”
“The director chose to open the film with a series of silent vignettes, each capturing a mundane moment of urban isolation before the main plot commenced.”
Examples
simple
“She wrote a short vignette about her childhood home.”
contextual
“The novel is not a single story but a series of vignettes that illustrate life in a small coastal village.”
complex
“The director chose to open the film with a series of silent vignettes, each capturing a mundane moment of urban isolation before the main plot commenced.”
Usage
Commonly used in literary criticism to describe short prose pieces that lack a traditional plot structure.
Real-World Examples
“Behind the stories of bombings and mass deaths, the everyday challenges facing Palestinians living under siege portray a quieter tragedy we rarely hear, a vignette of daily struggles often overshadowed by more dramatic headlines.” “We sent our photographers and writers on six very personal quests to experience food, flavors and feelings they just couldn’t find anywhere else, each journey a culinary vignette.” “This time, we want you to look at a mid-19th-century print by Utagawa Hiroshige of Japan: “Great Bridge: Sudden Rain at Atake,” a powerful vignette of a fleeting moment.” “To me, each has its own character,” says Tim Easley, describing how each vending machine in Tokyo offers a unique vignette of the city's vibrant street life.” Etymology
First attested in 1751. From French vignette, diminutive of vigne (“vine”), from Latin vīnea, from vīnum (“wine”). Replaced earlier Middle English vynet.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
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englishreference.com/q/vignette