1
as in describing
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 distinguishing
to be an important feature of
an unsightly rash characterizes chicken pox
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of characterizing
And, since Congress expects workers and employers to be (cough) creative when characterizing wages as tips to avoid paying taxes on otherwise taxable income, Treasury is authorized to issue additional guidance to prevent abuse.
—
Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
By contrast, Ka’iana and his family’s landing spot with Kamehameha’s base of power in Hawaii, as well as their foes, needed to be grounded in the land, while still doing the work of characterizing the different factions.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2025
Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
By contrast, Ka’iana and his family’s landing spot with Kamehameha’s base of power in Hawaii, as well as their foes, needed to be grounded in the land, while still doing the work of characterizing the different factions.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for characterizing
Verb
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Soliman fled to the United States in 2014 on a visitor visa and later filed a petition for asylum, describing how security forces over the years had locked him up on false charges and tortured him with electrical shocks.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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The aging brick walls, high arched wooden ceiling and original decorative elements of the Renaissance-era building provided quite a contrast with speakers who were describing the latest in present and future technologies.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kraft Heinz also had trouble distinguishing its products from cheaper store brands.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
2 Sep. 2025
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Hope to see more distinguishing benefits down the road.—
Chloe Mayer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the film — her first since portraying opera diva Maria Callas in last year’s Maria — the Oscar winner, 50, stars as Maxine, an American film director hired to make a video for a Paris fashion event amid being diagnosed with breast cancer and navigating a divorce.—
Eric Andersson,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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The museum's mission is to tell America's story by portraying people who shaped its history and culture.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Crevoiserat is looking at the global handbag opportunity anew, defining the total addressable market not by how many people bought bags last year, but how many people could have.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
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Flexibility has also become a defining factor.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Characterizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characterizing. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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