characterization

noun char·ac·ter·i·za·tion \ ˌker-ik-t(ə-)rə-ˈzā-shən , ˌka-rik- \

Definition of characterization

:the act of characterizing; especially :the artistic representation (as in fiction or drama) of human character or motives

the author's characterization of the boy as someone who wanted to be accepted by others

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Examples of characterization in a Sentence

The reporter was criticized for his characterization of the people of the town as poor and uneducated.
News reporting requires accurate characterization.
The class discussed the author's characterization of the boy as someone who wanted to be accepted by others.
The story has good characterization.

Recent Examples of characterization from the Web

Everything in the film—clothing, morality, characterization—is deeply layered, fractured, and complex.

— sam schube, GQ, "Good Time," 19 Aug. 2017
The actresses Fabienne Babe, Marie-France, Lilianne Montevecchi, Nathalie Richard, and Laetitia Dosch (several André Téchiné alumnae) provide fascinating characterizations that precisely etch class distinctions.

— armond white, National Review, "Class Consciousness, French- and American-Style," 18 Aug. 2017
In a similar vein, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, said Trump's characterization of the violence missed the mark.

— reuters, Fortune, "Trump Again Blames Both Sides for Virginia, Reigniting a Political Firestorm," 16 Aug. 2017
Immediately after the press conference, people took to social media to share their confusion and disbelief at this characterization.

— krystin arneson, Glamour, "Trump Called Out 'Many Sides' in His Charlottesville Statement, and Many People Are Upset," 13 Aug. 2017
But that characterization is apparently a load of BS, according to a new survey.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "This Is Millennials' Favorite Drugstore Beauty Brand," 26 July 2017
Balber disputed that characterization, noting that no criminal charges were filed in the case.

— Bloomberg.com, "Lawyer: Agalarov Staffer Was Eighth Person at Trump Tower Meeting," 18 July 2017
For reasons that are unclear, that engaging characterization has been abandoned in favor of pushing Parker too hard and too long in the unwelcome opposite direction.

— kenneth turan, latimes.com, "‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ trips on the teen angst, but Michael Keaton’s Vulture soars," 5 July 2017
KAHLER: Your dissertation was titled, A Characterization of the Set of Asymptotic Values of a Function Holomorphic in the Unit Disc.

— kalyn kahler, The MMQB, "Talking Football with the Browns’ Last QB to Win a Championship," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'characterization.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.