characterizing

verb

present participle of characterize
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

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2
as in distinguishing
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 characterizing After characterizing the nature of the asteroid, Tianwen-2 will attempt to gather samples. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 6 July 2026 White added some thoughts about focusing in on people, characterizing what often happens in collaborations. — John Werner, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 Supporters of the high-earner tax for public education have been quick to stress it’s been in place for more than a decade, characterizing any rollback of it as a tax cut for the wealthy. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026 So much of The Last Supper involved characterizing songs, movies, music videos, paintings, and so on. — Literary Hub, 1 June 2026 Many in the scientific research community disagree, characterizing the changes as the White House attempting to usurp autonomy from scientists and career civil servants. — Allison Deangelis, STAT, 1 June 2026 The United States has struck a hard line, characterizing the unrest as a coup attempt. — ABC News, 27 May 2026 The company temporarily halted the work and offered to repair the road at no cost to the county, characterizing the work as a gift. — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 14 May 2026 Fresh, seasonal produce plays a large part in characterizing the taste of a place, and in Florida’s mild climate much of that flavor can be locally grown. — Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for characterizing
  1. describing
  2. distinguishing
  3. portraying
  4. defining
Verb
  • Iran’s semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) wrote about the 1989 funeral earlier this week, describing how the enormous crowds exceeded the numbers expected by authorities.
    — Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • Furthermore, Bavarian state lawmaker Bernhard Pohl also welcomed the move, describing it as a long-term guarantee for the future of the Kaufbeuren location and its role within Germany’s expanding missile defense network.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026
Definition of describing
Verb
  • Within the past year or two, Microsoft made this chip distinction the distinguishing trait between consumer and business Surface models.
    — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026
  • The right to support and elect candidates for political office is a distinguishing feature of democracy.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 8 July 2026
Definition of distinguishing
Verb
  • Rossum continued portraying street-wise Chicago South Sider, Fiona Gallagher, through Season 9 before exiting the series.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 8 July 2026
  • The rebooted Netflix show addresses criticisms of Wilder’s work by giving diverse characters a larger role, a decision that prompted some to argue that the series would misrepresent the original books by portraying modern, progressive sensibilities.
    — Emily Staunton, Christian Science Monitor, 8 July 2026
Definition of portraying
Verb
  • The clinical home ecosystem has become the defining phrase of the 2025 to 2026 wellness spending cycle, as buyers stack cold plunges, red light beds and neurotech into serious at-home recovery setups.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 July 2026
  • According to the Defense blog, its defining feature is an integrated hydraulic arm.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 July 2026
Definition of defining

Browse Nearby Words

characterizes
characterizing
characterless
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Cite this Entry

“Characterizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characterizing. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of characterizing for Spanish Speakers

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