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
In a statement posted to Instagram, SAG-AFTRA, one of the largest entertainment unions, blasted its creation, characterizing it as an affront to the work of human performers.
—
David Oliver, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
People are characterizing them and not listening to them.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Pirro pushed back and went on to reiterate the Administration’s support for the deployments, characterizing the city as besieged by violent crime.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
Someone from the home called 911 to report Geyser had vanished, characterizing her as a missing person.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 23 Nov. 2025
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and Johns Hopkins University have reported a major advance in characterizing quantum noise, a barrier that continues to slow progress toward reliable quantum computers.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Nov. 2025
The experts also explored the national debt’s impact on interest, inflation and financial markets, with some characterizing this moment in history as a crisis.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2025
But Rodriguez and Patacsil expressed skepticism about how other members were characterizing that advice.
—Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Oct. 2025
In an amicus brief filed to the Supreme Court, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association and 12 other professional bodies argued that characterizing talk therapy as mere speech fundamentally misunderstands its therapeutic use and purpose.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2025
David Oliver, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
People are characterizing them and not listening to them.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Pirro pushed back and went on to reiterate the Administration’s support for the deployments, characterizing the city as besieged by violent crime.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
Someone from the home called 911 to report Geyser had vanished, characterizing her as a missing person.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 23 Nov. 2025
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and Johns Hopkins University have reported a major advance in characterizing quantum noise, a barrier that continues to slow progress toward reliable quantum computers.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Nov. 2025
The experts also explored the national debt’s impact on interest, inflation and financial markets, with some characterizing this moment in history as a crisis.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2025
But Rodriguez and Patacsil expressed skepticism about how other members were characterizing that advice.
—Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Oct. 2025
In an amicus brief filed to the Supreme Court, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association and 12 other professional bodies argued that characterizing talk therapy as mere speech fundamentally misunderstands its therapeutic use and purpose.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for characterizing
Verb
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After describing the facts of the case, Colbert later sat down with discuss the situation with MS NOW host Chris Hayes.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
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But video footage of the encounter, posted online and verified by The New York Times and other outlets, raises questions about how federal officials are describing the incident.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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To that point, Lee stressed the importance of city names preceding a team name as a distinguishing factor.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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Presidents learn quickly the wisdom of distinguishing between an authoritarian regime and the people who suffer under its rule.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Venezuelan government has denied these allegations, portraying the agency as essential to defending national sovereignty against coups and foreign intervention.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
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He was best known for portraying Randy Benton on NBC's long-running Western The Virginian.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Longbow believes weight has become the defining problem across the car industry.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
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Many who lost their homes — including generations of Black locals who gave the mountain town a defining part of its identity for decades — remain displaced.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Characterizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characterizing. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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