Meanings
plural synthographies
- countableuncountabledigital mediaartThe creation of digital images, particularly photorealistic artwork, using generative artificial intelligence tools via text or multimodal prompts. (instances are called synthographs)
…I propose with this paper that the image creation by ‘intelligent’ apparatuses might pave the path for a new creative medium beyond the classic understanding of photography: Synthography.
2022, Elke Reinhuber, "Synthography – An Invitation to Reconsider the Rapidly Changing Toolkit of Digital Image Creation as a New Genre Beyond Photography", in ArtsIT, Interactivity and Game Creation, Springer, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95531-1_22 - countableuncountableartThe act or process of utilising text or multimodal prompts to create algorithmically generated art or creative outputs, including text, 2D or 3D imagery, music, video, animation, audiovisual media, software, or videogames.
Origin
Blend of synthetic + photography. Coined in 2022 by researcher and artist Elke Reinhuber, as a synthetic analogue to photography, replacing the root phot- (“light”) with synth- (“synthesis”) to denote creation via generative artificial intelligence.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
synthography. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/synthography
“synthography.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/synthography. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “synthography,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/synthography.
Source: synthography on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.