1
as in to describe
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group
how would you characterize the mission of this environmental organization?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to distinguish
to be an important feature of
an unsightly rash characterizes chicken pox
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of characterize
The rich red shade on Rodrigo’s lips was the cherry on top of her punky aura, characterized by several outfit changes and black platform boots, perfect for stomping.
—
Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 30 June 2025
This disorder usually affects cats 10 years or older, and is characterized by a decline in cognitive abilities such as memory, learning and spatial awareness.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
These large dark brown colored animals, characterized by a protruding shoulder hump, are social animals that often form herds, which appear to be directed by older females.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Jones and Figgs both won reelection this year, with the overall race characterized by political divisions.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for characterize
Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 30 June 2025
This disorder usually affects cats 10 years or older, and is characterized by a decline in cognitive abilities such as memory, learning and spatial awareness.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
These large dark brown colored animals, characterized by a protruding shoulder hump, are social animals that often form herds, which appear to be directed by older females.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Jones and Figgs both won reelection this year, with the overall race characterized by political divisions.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for characterize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for characterize
Verb
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His lawyer Jonathan Latimer described him as a man whose life was shaped by severe, untreated mental illness since his early 20s, and said the mental health treatment system failed him.—
Sheetal Banchariya,
New York Daily News,
30 June 2025
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TikTok users flooded the comment section with responses describing the scene as heartwarming and emotionally stirring.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Lawyers are expected to distinguish between sound arguments and narcissistic wordplay.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 June 2025
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Savvy operators are beginning to distinguish between short-term curiosity spend and deeper, more sustainable value.—
Vlad Panin,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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The latter has portrayed The Waitress — the object of Day's character Charlie Kelly's obsessive, unrequited love — in 37 episodes across 16 seasons of the long-running FX series.—
Erin Clack,
People.com,
6 July 2025
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Many analysts portrayed the decision as a victory for Trump, and some Democrats lashed out at the court.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
4 July 2025
Verb
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To define these guardrails, organizations should: • Implement reinforcement learning techniques with human feedback to continuously review and reward the LLMs for good behavior.—
Rakshana Balakrishnan,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defined a heat wave as a period of abnormally and uncomfortably hot and usually humid weather that lasts at least two days.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Characterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characterize. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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