as in depiction
a vivid representation in words of someone or something
his novel presents a moving portrayal of a woman searching for personal fulfillment and happiness
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Recent Examples of portrayal
Imagine Entertainment has teamed with dairy and food giant Land O’Lakes in an effort to modernize the portrayals of rural America in movies and TV shows.
—
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
It‘s also a loving portrayal of Eve Arnold’s life and career.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026
The Satanic Verses stirred controversy after some considered its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammed blasphemous.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
Thornton earned a Golden Globe nomination last year for his Season 1 portrayal of Tommy, a petroleum landman at M-Tex Oil who has to step up after a fatal incident at one of his company’s rigs.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for portrayal
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
It‘s also a loving portrayal of Eve Arnold’s life and career.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026
The Satanic Verses stirred controversy after some considered its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammed blasphemous.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
Thornton earned a Golden Globe nomination last year for his Season 1 portrayal of Tommy, a petroleum landman at M-Tex Oil who has to step up after a fatal incident at one of his company’s rigs.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for portrayal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portrayal
Noun
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Using a combination of AI classification and human review, researchers estimated that about 65 percent of all images were sexualized depictions of people, and a small but significant fraction involved children.—
The AI Insider,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Jan. 2026
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But that depiction was picked apart by a vast array of online onlookers, from law enforcement experts to ordinary Instagram users, some of whom replayed the videos frame by frame and zoomed in to show the episode in frightening detail.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Pearson knew about Debe's hair appointment and gave detectives a detailed description of many items inside her car.—
Sarah Prior,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
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That includes name, social security number, physical description, home address, home telephone number, education, financial matters, medical or employment history and statements attributed to the individual.—
EdSource,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Noir laid her easel and 4-by-5-foot linen canvas against a boulevard tree and started painting a portrait of Good wearing the strapless red dress from her maternity photoshoot, her blonde hair blowing in the wind.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
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For example, remote workers can benefit from Lyra’s clear portrait settings and the software’s automatic adjustments to create a more polished look during online meetings.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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His picture topped newspapers across the country under headlines announcing that the killer had surrendered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
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When the financial picture feels fragmented (too many reports, too much noise, not enough forward-looking insight), leaders hesitate.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portrayal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portrayal. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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