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
Government officials have characterized the use-of-force as self-defense while local officials and eye witnesses have disputed that account as the case remains under investigation.
—
Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Rather than a top-down approach, this type of activism is characterized by starting at the local level in response to the needs of the community.
—Leslie Hoyle Guerra, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Weiser, who is running for governor in this year’s election, characterized the attacks as Trump trying to leverage the power of the executive branch to exercise unconstitutional authority over how individual states conduct elections and oversee their criminal justice systems.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2026
The clashes have since descended into an all-out civil war, characterized by ethnic violence, attacks on civilians and atrocities committed by all sides, according to humanitarian groups and foreign governments.
—Byguy Davies, ABC News, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for characterize
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Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Rather than a top-down approach, this type of activism is characterized by starting at the local level in response to the needs of the community.
—Leslie Hoyle Guerra, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Weiser, who is running for governor in this year’s election, characterized the attacks as Trump trying to leverage the power of the executive branch to exercise unconstitutional authority over how individual states conduct elections and oversee their criminal justice systems.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2026
The clashes have since descended into an all-out civil war, characterized by ethnic violence, attacks on civilians and atrocities committed by all sides, according to humanitarian groups and foreign governments.
—Byguy Davies, ABC News, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for characterize
Cite this Entry
“Characterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/characterize. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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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