characterize
verb
char·ac·ter·ize
ˈker-ik-tə-ˌrīz 
ˈka-rik-
characterized; characterizing
1
: to describe the character (see character entry 1 sense 1a) or quality of
characterizes him as ambitious
2
: to be a characteristic of : distinguish
an era characterized by greed
Examples of characterize in a Sentence
How would you characterize the situation?
I would characterize this as a positive change for our company.
She had difficulty characterizing their relationship.
His personality is hard to characterize.
Farms and large flat fields characterize most of the area.
the beliefs that characterized Europe in the 15th century
Recent Examples on the Web
Presence of stones Classified as a thescelosaurid, this bipedal dinosaur was part of a lineage found across East Asia and North America, potentially characterized by a fuzzy exterior.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Mar. 2026
Spontaneity and naturalism characterize much of the album, even on songs by artists not necessarily known for those qualities.
—Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
Magyar, with a firm background inside the European Union’s legislative body, has characterized the Hungarian government’s continuous feuds with Western Europe as a crisis for the nation.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Mar. 2026
Albanese had been investigating human rights abuses in Palestinian territories and had started characterizing the Israeli aggression against Palestinians as a genocide.
—Chiara Eisner, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for characterize
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Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Mar. 2026
Spontaneity and naturalism characterize much of the album, even on songs by artists not necessarily known for those qualities.
—Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
Magyar, with a firm background inside the European Union’s legislative body, has characterized the Hungarian government’s continuous feuds with Western Europe as a crisis for the nation.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Mar. 2026
Albanese had been investigating human rights abuses in Palestinian territories and had started characterizing the Israeli aggression against Palestinians as a genocide.
—Chiara Eisner, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for characterize
Cite this Entry
“Characterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/characterize. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
characterize
verb
char·ac·ter·ize
ˈkar-ik-tə-ˌrīz
characterized; characterizing
1
: to point out the character of an individual or group : describe
characterize him as ambitious
2
: to be characteristic of
tragic endings characterized her stories
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