1
as in to describe
to give a representation or account of in words
the author portrays her characters with lifelike vividness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to characterize
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group
traditionally, European authors portrayed the natives as wise and noble
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3
as in to depict
to present a picture of
a landscape that portrays the scenery near the town where the painter grew up
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4
as in to play
to present a portrayal or performance of
gained fame portraying Susan B. Anthony in a one-woman show
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of portray
Some influencers portray testosterone as a miracle fix, while critics dismiss it entirely.
—
Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 6 Nov. 2025
Every other politician is portrayed as sleazy, or lazy, or corrupt—except for Congressman Stuart, who is perfect of course.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
She is globally known for portraying Peggy Carter across the Marvel universe in such franchises as Captain America, Avengers, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man, as well as in her own TV series Marvel’s Agent Carter.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
This is something that is very rarely given, but often asked for, but not in the manner in which it's being portrayed in the media.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 6 Nov. 2025
Every other politician is portrayed as sleazy, or lazy, or corrupt—except for Congressman Stuart, who is perfect of course.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
She is globally known for portraying Peggy Carter across the Marvel universe in such franchises as Captain America, Avengers, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man, as well as in her own TV series Marvel’s Agent Carter.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
This is something that is very rarely given, but often asked for, but not in the manner in which it's being portrayed in the media.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portray
Verb
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In the early 2010s, Courtois was part of the team that discovered and described the Laniakea supercluster of galaxies to which our Milky Way belongs.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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Roberts Giuffre died by suicide in April, months before the publication of her book describing years of abuse.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Jim Trusty, Rozier’s attorney, strongly disputed the accusations, saying that prosecutors characterized Rozier as a subject of their investigation and not a target.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
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At the time, pranks characterized America’s Halloween celebrations.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The heritage brand unveiled the Lee x Mighty Jaxx collection, an assortment of tees, shorts and a 9-inch figurine that depict Buddy Lee in Freeny’s signature XXRay aesthetic.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Nov. 2025
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The video depicts a surreal world where a young man begins seeing the colorful patterns and iconography, like Swedish fish and other candies, that dedicated Candy Crush players will no doubt recognize.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Besides Adebayo, Miami’s only other available center was two-way contract player Vlad Goldin, who arrived from a G-League assignment but did not play.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
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The three titles that were won with fewer than 90 points were wrapped up with at least three games still to play, which led to an easing off in the final weeks.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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While it's left some passengers making backup plans and reserving rental cars, the flights canceled Friday represented just a small portion of overall flights nationwide.—
JOSH FUNK,
Arkansas Online,
8 Nov. 2025
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However, attorneys representing businesses that sued the administration said using IEEPA in that way would require explicit authorization from Congress.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Directed by British filmmaker and frequent collaborator Nick Wickham (Madonna, Shakira) the film will chronicle the album’s release date unveiling at the intimate Troxy nightclub in London, where the goth rock legends performed the entire record for the first and only time to date.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
3 Nov. 2025
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When the immune system ages, immune cells become less able to perform crucial functions like fighting infection, destroying cancer cells and healing wounds, according to Rhodes, who is also the CEO and co-founder of Mimio Health in San Francisco.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In 2010, a radical Islamic group called Revolution Muslim posted what many interpreted as a death threat after an episode in which the Prophet Muhammad was shown in a bear suit.—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
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In addition, people who are prone to anger or are more likely to interpret neutral facial expressions as negative, and those with more stress and negative emotions have higher sensitivity to negative faces.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The firm is also a member of this year’s Change the World list, which highlights companies that are doing social good through their business models.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
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Otherwise, Craig Breslow will have a lot of explaining to do.—
Drew VonScio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portray. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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