characterize

verb

char·​ac·​ter·​ize ˈker-ik-tə-ˌrīz 

ˈka-rik-

characterized; characterizing

transitive verb

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

Synonyms of characterize

• describe
• portray
• define

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 government characterized Lemon as part of the demonstration, arguing his actions at a church crossed the line from a reporting to a protesting role, violating the First Amendment right to worship and freedom of religion. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 8 Oct. 2026

Case in point, Luke Edward Hall’s ongoing Neptune’s Journey for Ginori 1735, characterized by cartoonish images and upbeat color palette. — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026

Wilkinson countered that what was at issue was that the network has to go through the early renewal process at all, characterizing it as an act of retaliation that is ripe for district court review. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026

Tyson Brody, a spokesperson for Hamilton’s campaign, characterized the influx of GOP spending as a last-ditch effort to avoid losing a seat in a state that wasn’t supposed to be a battleground. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see character entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1602, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for characterize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize
• democratize

Kids 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