portraitist

noun

por·​trait·​ist ˈpȯr-trə-tist 

-ˌtrā-

: a maker of portraits

Examples of portraitist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Working as a portraitist, she was commissioned by university scholars and local nobility in Bologna, the Italian city where she was born. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Established in 1980, the prestigious honor is given annually in recognition of a contemporary portraitist. — News Desk, Artforum, 25 June 2026

Her activity as a portraitist, the subject of one section of the exhibition, flourished and would continue throughout her long life, reflecting her numerous ties to artistic and literary circles. — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026

An especially visually striking debut, Mosquitoes exists in a saturated hyperreality that is consummately engrossing, and announces the Bertani sisters as formidable portraitists of girlhood cast against the backdrop of an alternately beautiful and oppressive world. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from French portraitiste, from portrait portrait entry 1 + -iste -ist entry 1

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined above