1. a system of writing in which symbols or characters represent ideas or things rather than sounds or letters
Usage: linguistics; also called ideographic writing
2. the study or practice of using ideograms or ideographic systems
Usage: technical; scholarly

Examples

• Chinese characters are a classic example of ideography, where each symbol conveys meaning directly.
• The ancient Egyptians used ideography in their hieroglyphic writing system.
• Ideography differs from alphabetic systems because it represents concepts rather than individual sounds.
• Scholars of ideography study how visual symbols communicate meaning across cultures.
• Modern emoji could be considered a form of contemporary ideography.
• The transition from ideography to phonetic writing was a major development in human communication.