projection [ pruh-jek-shuh n ] SEE SYNONYMS FOR projection ON THESAURUS.COM noun a projecting or protruding part. the state or fact of jutting out or protruding. a causing to jut or protrude. the act, process, or result of projecting. Also called map projection. Cartography. a systematic construction of lines drawn on a plane surface representative of and corresponding to the meridians and parallels of the curved surface of the earth or celestial sphere. Photography. the act of reproducing on a surface, by optical means, a remote image on a film, slide, etc. an image so reproduced.  the act of visualizing and regarding an idea or the like as an objective reality. something that is so visualized and regarded. calculation of some future thing: They fell short of their projection for the rate of growth. the act of communicating distinctly and forcefully to an audience. Psychology. the tendency to ascribe to another person feelings, thoughts, or attitudes present in oneself, or to regard external reality as embodying such feelings, thoughts, etc., in some way. Psychoanalysis. such an ascription relieving the ego of a sense of guilt or other intolerable feeling.  the act of planning or scheming. Alchemy. the casting of the powder of philosophers' stone upon metal in fusion, to transmute it into gold or silver.