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
The outline of the initial report — a contract extension for Crow-Armstrong potentially worth around $75 million — has been characterized as inaccurate.
—
Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 28 May 2025
Scott, a former two-term governor of the Sunshine State and no stranger to working with the agency while battling major hurricanes, characterized FEMA as rife with fraud that does little more than write checks for post-disaster cleanup.
—Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 26 May 2025
This genetic condition is characterized by abnormal production of a protein called alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT).
—Suchandrima Bhowmik, Health, 24 May 2025
The national park is characterized by gently rising hills with low-growing vegetation, as well as forested areas where stone bridges arch over small rivers.
—Mike Nolan, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for characterize
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Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 28 May 2025
Scott, a former two-term governor of the Sunshine State and no stranger to working with the agency while battling major hurricanes, characterized FEMA as rife with fraud that does little more than write checks for post-disaster cleanup.
—Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 26 May 2025
This genetic condition is characterized by abnormal production of a protein called alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT).
—Suchandrima Bhowmik, Health, 24 May 2025
The national park is characterized by gently rising hills with low-growing vegetation, as well as forested areas where stone bridges arch over small rivers.
—Mike Nolan, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for characterize
Cite this Entry
“Characterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/characterize. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
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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