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

• 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

Human social organization is characterized by groups that have linkages between them that form larger communities, notes Seyfarth. —Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 6 Aug. 2025

These symptoms may include fever, fatigue, and nausea, but a chikungunya infection is characterized by the accompanying severe joint pain that can last for months or years. —Chad De Guzman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025

Both of them are characterized by industrial titans who are kind of swinging the state around by its tail. —Brent Lang, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025

It is characterized by a rash that spreads over the face and body. —Sarah Volpenhein, jsonline.com, 4 Aug. 2025

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