Description vs. Information — What's the Difference?

The process of detailing aspects or traits to create a vivid image.

Facts or data provided or learned about something or someone.

A narrative or account that provides visual or experiential details.

Details or data about a subject that inform or enlighten.

Depiction or portrayal that evokes sensory or emotional responses.

Knowledge acquired through study, experience, or instruction.

The act of depicting or portraying something in words, focusing on characteristics or features.

Data or facts that are made available or accessible.

A detailed account or explanation of an object, person, or scene.

The communication or reception of knowledge or intelligence.

Description is the pattern of narrative development that aims to make vivid a place, object, character, or group. Description is one of four rhetorical modes (also known as modes of discourse), along with exposition, argumentation, and narration.

Information can be thought of as the resolution of uncertainty; it answers the question of "What an entity is" and thus defines both its essence and the nature of its characteristics. The concept of information has different meanings in different contexts.

A spoken or written account of a person, object, or event

Knowledge or facts learned, especially about a certain subject or event.

A type or class of people or things

The act of informing or the condition of being informed; communication of knowledge

The act, process, or technique of describing.

(Computers) Processed, stored, or transmitted data.

A statement or an account describing something

A numerical measure of the uncertainty of an experimental outcome.

A pictorial representation

(Law) A formal accusation of a crime made by a public officer rather than by grand jury indictment in instances in which the offense, if a federal crime, is not a felony or in which the offense, if a state crime, is allowed prosecution in that manner rather than by indictment.

A kind or sort

That which resolves uncertainty; anything that answers the question of "what a given entity is".

A sketch or account of anything in words; a portraiture or representation in language; an enumeration of the essential qualities of a thing or species.

Things that are or can be known about a given topic; communicable knowledge of something.

The act of describing; a delineation by marks or signs.

The act of informing or imparting knowledge; notification.

A set of characteristics by which someone or something can be recognized.

A statement of criminal activity brought before a judge or magistrate; in the UK, used to inform a magistrate of an offence and request a warrant; in the US, an accusation brought before a judge without a grand jury indictment.

(taxonomy) A scientific documentation of a taxon for the purpose of introducing it to science.

(obsolete) The act of informing against someone, passing on incriminating knowledge; accusation.

(linguistics) The act or practice of recording and describing actual language usage in a given speech community, as opposed to prescription, i.e. laying down norms of language usage.

The systematic imparting of knowledge; education, training.

(linguistics) A descriptive linguistic survey.

The creation of form; the imparting of a given quality or characteristic; forming, animation.

The act of describing; a delineation by marks or signs.

[…] the meaning that a human assigns to data by means of the known conventions used in its representation.

A sketch or account of anything in words; a portraiture or representation in language; an enumeration of the essential qualities of a thing or species.

(Christianity) Divine inspiration.

A class to which a certain representation is applicable; kind; sort.

A service provided by telephone which provides listed telephone numbers of a subscriber.

A statement that represents something in words

(information theory) Any unambiguous abstract data, the smallest possible unit being the bit.

The act of describing something

As contrasted with data, information is processed to extract relevant data.

Sort or variety;

(information technology) Any ordered sequence of symbols (or signals) (that could contain a message).

The act of informing, or communicating knowledge or intelligence.

Any fact or set of facts, knowledge, news, or advice, whether communicated by others or obtained by personal study and investigation; any datum that reduces uncertainty about the state of any part of the world; intelligence; knowledge derived from reading, observation, or instruction.

A proceeding in the nature of a prosecution for some offense against the government, instituted and prosecuted, really or nominally, by some authorized public officer on behalf of the government. It differs from an indictment in criminal cases chiefly in not being based on the finding of a grand jury. See Indictment.

A measure of the number of possible choices of messages contained in a symbol, signal, transmitted message, or other information-bearing object; it is usually quantified as the negative logarithm of the number of allowed symbols that could be contained in the message; for logarithms to the base 2, the measure corresponds to the unit of information, the hartley, which is log210, or 3.323 bits; called also information content. The smallest unit of information that can be contained or transmitted is the bit, corresponding to a yes-or-no decision.

Useful facts, as contrasted with raw data; as, among all this data, there must be some interesting information.

A message received and understood

A collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn;

Knowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction

(communication theory) a numerical measure of the uncertainty of an outcome;

Formal accusation of a crime

Yes, descriptions can include factual information as part of detailing characteristics or features.

Information provides the factual basis needed to make informed decisions, reducing uncertainty.

Information is central to education, providing the knowledge base for learning, understanding concepts, and developing skills.

Description can significantly enhance reader engagement by creating vivid images and evoking emotions.

Ideally, information should be objective, but the selection and presentation of facts can introduce bias.

Information can be presented in a descriptive way to clarify or emphasize facts, but its primary aim remains to inform.

Yes, overly detailed descriptions can overwhelm the reader and detract from the clarity or pace of the narrative.

Balancing description and information involves considering the purpose and audience of the writing, ensuring the right mix to achieve the desired effect or convey the necessary knowledge.

Descriptions contribute to storytelling by setting scenes, developing characters, and evoking a sense of place and mood.

Yes, the presentation of information can influence how it's perceived and understood, emphasizing the importance of clarity and context.

No, both have their value, depending on the purpose of the writing. Description enhances experiential understanding, while information increases cognitive knowledge.

Reliable information is accurate, verifiable, and comes from credible sources, free from bias or distortion.

Verifying the accuracy of information involves checking multiple, credible sources, considering the evidence, and assessing the reliability of the source.

Digital media has greatly increased the availability of information, making it more accessible but also raising challenges regarding quality and reliability.

A good description vividly portrays its subject in a way that engages the senses and emotions, making the reader or listener feel present or connected.