delineate

verb

di-ˈli-nē-ˌāt How to pronounce delineate (audio)
Definition of delineatenext
1
as in to trace
to draw or make apparent the outline of the man's roly-poly shape was softly delineated by the glow of the fire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to describe
to give a representation or account of in words the story does a remarkable job of delineating the emotions that immigrants feel upon their arrival in a strange country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 delineate While prosecution witnesses have refused to delineate between the Lachman and Palisades blazes, Haney has repeatedly described them as two distinct incidents that ignited days apart. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026 Some of them act as half walls, delineating the foyer, or partially separating the family room from the main salon. — Paola Singer, Architectural Digest, 18 June 2026 City centers across Europe and Asia were anchored for centuries by ancient seats of royalty and religion, and delineated by walls. — Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 10 June 2026 So, during today's press conference, Ars Technica's Eric Berger asked García-Galán and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who also participated in the event, if the MoonFall drones could help delineate a keep-out zone of sorts. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for delineate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delineate
  1. trace
  2. describe
  3. define
  4. depict
  5. outline
  6. portray
Verb
  • And challenges around tracing the sources of outbreaks and capturing their full scope can leave many questions unanswered.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The film traces the relationships surrounding the band as their sudden rise begins testing the friendships and loyalties that helped create it.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of trace
Verb
  • Welch has described his mishandling of this matter as a systemic failure.
    — David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Bessent described a two-pronged approach featuring financial pressure and a physical blockade of Islamic republic's ports.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of describe
Verb
  • The idea that government, which has been defined as incompetent and inefficient for decades, could provide grocery abundance and variety better than Walmart and Costco has triggered a visceral reaction among critics.
    — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Fierezza, for example, is defined by contrasts between pink peppercorn, incense, and marine notes.
    — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of define
Verb
  • Researchers scanned dogs’ brains while the pooches looked at images of human facial expressions depicting happiness, sadness, anger and fear.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The work, depicting a judge in a wig striking a protester with a gavel, has cost Britain’s Ministry of Justice $67,000 in removal efforts so far, with another $48,000 spent on security and staff overtime while the work stayed up.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of depict
Verb
  • Colorado doctors will still be recommending the long-standing immunization schedule outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
    — Olivia Young, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Green made a presentation, now rather famous among his colleagues, that outlined his meta-layered vision, complete with shots of Michael Mann’s The Insider and stuffed with references to other legal dramas like The Verdict and Erin Brockovich.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of outline
Verb
  • Hundreds of pages of grand jury transcripts portray Tupac Shakur's shooting as a culmination of a longstanding feud between rival record labels Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records and rival gang sects Mob Piru and South Side Compton Crips.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Juno Temple portrays supermodel and eventual public relations expert Keeley Jones.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of portray

Browse Nearby Words

delimits
delineate
delineated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Delineate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delineate. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on delineate

Nglish: Translation of delineate for Spanish Speakers

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All