1
as in describing
to give a representation or account of in words
this letter from an eyewitness depicts the battle in greater detail than any other account
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in characterizing
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group
the report depicted him as a reliable assistant and an employee who could be entrusted with any task
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in portraying
to present a picture of
the painting depicts a pastoral landscape on a summer day
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 depicting
Advertisement Vehicles move along a highway past a war memorial statue and a billboard depicting Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was killed in an air strike on February 28, with plumes of black smoke billowing, in Tehran on March 8, 2026.
—
Rebecca Schneid, Time, 8 Mar. 2026
Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company is likewise uncomfortably adept at depicting how navigating our immensely complicated, interconnected society can feel.
—Jake Pitre, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2026
The hypercompetitive magician Borden is locked in mortal combat with his nemesis, Angier (Hugh Jackman), and what remains fascinating about The Prestige is how devoted its cast and director are to depicting this rivalry between two utterly charmless protagonists.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
Upon entering the Visitor's Center, guests are greeted by life-size models of North Atlantic right whales, dolphins, and manta rays, along with dioramas depicting marshes, sand dunes, and coastal habitats.
—Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
The criticism echoes decades of tension between administrations and journalists over depicting war’s human cost, from Vietnam to recent Afghan conflict coverage.
—David Bauder, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
The Milky Way images most people are familiar with, depicting the sweeping spiral galaxy from above, are illustrations, not photographs, Longmore said.
—Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
Every poor, slow or pernickety decision undermines the good, depicting VAR as needlessly intrusive and a hindrance to the spectacle.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Most recently, the White Stripes rocker lashed out after Trump posted a since‑deleted video on his official Truth Social account depicting Michelle and Barack Obama as apes.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 28 Feb. 2026
Rebecca Schneid, Time, 8 Mar. 2026
Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company is likewise uncomfortably adept at depicting how navigating our immensely complicated, interconnected society can feel.
—Jake Pitre, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2026
The hypercompetitive magician Borden is locked in mortal combat with his nemesis, Angier (Hugh Jackman), and what remains fascinating about The Prestige is how devoted its cast and director are to depicting this rivalry between two utterly charmless protagonists.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
Upon entering the Visitor's Center, guests are greeted by life-size models of North Atlantic right whales, dolphins, and manta rays, along with dioramas depicting marshes, sand dunes, and coastal habitats.
—Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
The criticism echoes decades of tension between administrations and journalists over depicting war’s human cost, from Vietnam to recent Afghan conflict coverage.
—David Bauder, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
The Milky Way images most people are familiar with, depicting the sweeping spiral galaxy from above, are illustrations, not photographs, Longmore said.
—Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
Every poor, slow or pernickety decision undermines the good, depicting VAR as needlessly intrusive and a hindrance to the spectacle.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Most recently, the White Stripes rocker lashed out after Trump posted a since‑deleted video on his official Truth Social account depicting Michelle and Barack Obama as apes.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 28 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depicting
Verb
-
The incident, captured on video that has been circulating on social media, alarmed members of the local Jewish community, with some describing it as part of a rising number of antisemitic incidents in recent years.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Starting June 2026, subscribers will be able to search for content using natural language prompts – describing a mood, genre preference or specific type of story – rather than keyword queries.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Film actor Timothée Chalamet recently sparked controversy in the performing arts world by characterizing ballet and opera as dying art forms — not a novel sentiment, of course, but rather the latest foray into an ongoing debate.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Rout has spent decades characterizing yeast pore complexes.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Not all of it works, but Bale is essentially perfect, portraying both the innocence and the increasing alienation of his young hero.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Popular culture has long elevated certain women by portraying others as rivals, obstacles or villains.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But realistically, Rodriguez has a free ride to continue representing her northeast San Fernando Valley district.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Ellison abandoned his congressional seat representing the 5th District, most of Minneapolis, to run for attorney general.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Depicting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depicting. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
