portraiture

noun

por·​trai·​ture ˈpȯr-trə-ˌchu̇r 

-chər,

-ˌtyu̇r,

-ˌtu̇r

1

: the making of portraits : portrayal

2

: portrait

Synonyms

• portrait
• description
• portrayal
• depiction

Examples of portraiture in a Sentence

The museum is exhibiting portraiture from the late 19th century.

Recent Examples on the Web

These digital or printed artworks allow people to indulge in the grandeur of old-world portraiture with a tongue-in-cheek sense of fun. —Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025

The ‘Special Award for Creativity’ went to Adebayo Rotilu for Electric Silhouette, a daring portrait where the subject was lit exclusively by laser beams later converted to black and white, producing a futuristic interplay of light and shadow that pushes the boundaries of portraiture. —Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025

In the era of the smartphone, formal portraiture had gone out of fashion, and studios like the one in Manori were on the verge of closing down. —M. Z. Adnan, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2025

But that performance wouldn’t have its power without McIntire and Rubinstein’s impressionistic musical portraiture. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English purtreiture, portratowre, portrature "representation by painting or drawing, the art of painting or drawing," borrowed from Anglo-French purtraiture (also continental Old French pourtraiture), from purtrait, past participle of purtraire "to represent, depict" + -ure -ure — more at portray

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1