characterized

past tense of characterize
1
as in described
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group how would you characterize the mission of this environmental organization?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in distinguished
to be an important feature of an unsightly rash characterizes chicken pox

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of characterized Israel’s first occupation of Gaza was characterized by war crimes, massacres, and expulsions. Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025 Godard’s ode to American movies that required only a girl and a gun begat freak-flag-flying films like Slacker, which begat Linklater’s career, characterized by him following his own muse. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025 Another anonymous source closer to the production characterized the split differently. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2025 Advertisement While Beijing is laser focused on ports, pipelines, and railways, the type of capacity-building engagement long characterized by USAID isn’t part of their strategy. Charlie Campbell, Time, 30 Oct. 2025 The departure from SiriusXM is being characterized as a mutual decision; the two parties were not able to come to an agreement on the terms of the deal. Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025 His training sessions can be jagged, unpredictable, and characterized by syncopation. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025 Irritant contact dermatitis is one of the most common skin diseases characterized [by] redness, skin swelling and itching. Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025 Jim Trusty, Rozier’s attorney, strongly disputed the accusations, saying prosecutors characterized Rozier as a subject of their investigation and not a target. Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for characterized
Verb
  • What are the criteria for being described as this sexy?
    Choire Sicha, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
  • In the early 2010s, Courtois was part of the team that discovered and described the Laniakea supercluster of galaxies to which our Milky Way belongs.
    Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • For Bransten, who has experience across retail, fashion, and enterprise technology, Ralph Lauren’s clarity of vision distinguished them from their peers.
    Tharin Pillay, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
  • But while refrigerators, washers, and climate controls filled the booth, the Intrinity Fan distinguished itself through innovation.
    Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • During the late-night comedy sketch series, Teller portrayed former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo alongside Shane Gillis as Curtis Sliwa and Ramy Youssef as Zohran Mamdani, in a mock New York City mayoral race debate for the Cold Open.
    Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Sometimes, the expiration of a CBA is portrayed as the start of a labor dispute, but that’s often not true.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • That special issue marked a turning point for the academic bandwagon that Janis had kicked off.
    David Merritt Johns, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
  • This marked the third straight game in which Werenski has had a goal and an assist.
    Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Set in 18-karat yellow gold and framed with nearly five carats of brilliant white diamonds, the Emma earrings embody the vision defined by the company’s founder.
    Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2025
  • The study reveals that the performance of the soft mechanical metamaterial is limited by the beam aspect ratio, which is defined as the ratio of the length to the width of each beam.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Characterized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characterized. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on characterized

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!