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
Symptoms of Preeclampsia It's characterized by high blood pressure that usually develops after the 20th week of pregnancy, says Dr. Reed.
—
Sarah Scott, Parents, 15 May 2025
Lastly, Bowman is being characterized as someone who wants massive deregulation of banks which, while ideal (see the above discussion of Supervision), doesn’t play well at the Fed.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
These are characterized by loss of bone mass and bone mineral density, with osteoporosis being more severe.
—Jennifer Steinhoff, Verywell Health, 14 May 2025
That stretch was characterized by more downs than ups, including being a controversial captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup in 2023.
—Paul Sullivan, New York Times, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for characterize
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sarah Scott, Parents, 15 May 2025
Lastly, Bowman is being characterized as someone who wants massive deregulation of banks which, while ideal (see the above discussion of Supervision), doesn’t play well at the Fed.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
These are characterized by loss of bone mass and bone mineral density, with osteoporosis being more severe.
—Jennifer Steinhoff, Verywell Health, 14 May 2025
That stretch was characterized by more downs than ups, including being a controversial captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup in 2023.
—Paul Sullivan, New York Times, 14 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 29 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share