Synonyms of defining

defining

verb

present participle of define

1

as in tracing

to draw or make apparent the outline of

the glass skyscraper's sleek silhouette was strikingly defined by the setting sun to its west

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tracing
• outlining
• sketching
• delineating
• surrounding
• circling
• trimming
• silhouetting
• rounding
• lining
• framing
• bounding
• drawing
• skirting
• encircling
• edging
• charting
• looping
• rimming
• ringing
• fringing
• hemming
• margining
• mapping (out)
• girthing
• compassing
• girdling
• diagramming

2

as in describing

to mark the limits of

the river defines the town on the south

Synonyms & Similar Words

• describing
• bounding
• limiting
• delimiting
• governing
• demarcating
• marking (off)
• circumscribing
• terminating
• controlling
• demarking
• determining
• delineating

3

as in characterizing

to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group

a woman who is defined by her unswerving loyalty to her friends

Synonyms & Similar Words

• describing
• characterizing
• portraying
• representing
• depicting
• identifying
• classifying
• charactering
• categorizing
• specifying
• indicating
• typing
• pigeonholing
• marking
• individualizing
• distinguishing
• naming
• stamping
• particularizing
• coloring

4

as in specifying

to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly

let me define the task so that there is no doubt in your minds about what needs to be done

Synonyms & Similar Words

• specifying
• prescribing
• directing
• dictating
• arranging
• ordering
• laying down
• telling
• assigning
• selecting
• choosing
• managing
• controlling
• instructing
• governing
• setting
• decreeing
• requiring
• leading
• conducting
• constraining
• forcing
• fixing
• coercing
• ordaining
• enjoining
• settling
• compelling
• bidding
• commanding
• charging
• obligating
• obliging
• adjuring

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of defining

Biden's Gaza Record Has Drawn Criticism The war in Gaza began during Biden's presidency and became one of the defining foreign policy challenges of his administration. — Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2026

But just past it, the waves cut deeply into the beach, defining foot-high sand cliffs and wrapping around tree stumps that once would have been far inland. — John Anglim, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2026

Picking a new chief is considered one of the most important decisions any mayor will make, with legacy-defining implications. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026

The following day Dirand was sitting across from Peter Brant, the fabled industrialist and publisher, and his wife, Stephanie Seymour Brant, one of the defining supermodels of her generation, in their new home. — Lucas Oliver Mill, Architectural Digest, 11 Nov. 2026

Pointing to foreign policy allows Vance to criticize a defining administration decision without repudiating the broader MAGA movement, while echoing his longstanding opposition to foreign interventions. — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2026

On a record with two artists as recognizable as Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar, your vocal contribution became a defining part of the song. — Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 10 Nov. 2026

Even this decision, to make romance an important but not defining force in the main character’s emotional life, goes against the grain for female characters on the silver screen. — Caitlin White, Variety, 10 Nov. 2026

The clinic’s defining feature for overseas patients is the structure of its packages. — Burak Onal, Kansas City Star, 10 Nov. 2026