described

verb

past tense of describe
1
as in depicted
to give a representation or account of in words he tried to describe the dream he had last night as accurately as he could

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in chronicled
to give an oral or written account of in some detail a biography of Washington that describes the decisive Battle of Yorktown at great length

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in characterized
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group how would you describe the Inupiat people you encountered in Alaska?

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 described DiFuria described a billionaire family that went from feeling guilty about their spending to owning yachts and planes and moving to an area where other billionaires live. — Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026 There’s a week in the novel during which Lee goes to San Francisco that is implied but not described. — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 In an interview with Vogue at Cannes, Hoyeon described spending six months preparing for the action sequences, including firearms training, obtaining a stick-shift driving license, and learning stunt-driving techniques. — Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026 Tesla has described the interface as distinct from its previous systems, with an emphasis on the Roadster’s specific requirements. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026 While rumors in Haiti persist that the men may have been beheaded by the gangs, Bukele described them as being taken hostage. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026 Best known for his ambitious documentary features, Kapadia described the process of adapting to the rigors of television production. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026 The Bulldog community had been rallying behind Jacob Johnson in a season Braun described as bigger than football and spiritual. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026 Levine described being overtaken by a group of attackers, hit and knocked to the ground. — Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for described
  1. depicted
  2. chronicled
  3. characterized
  4. portrayed
  5. recounted
  6. defined
  7. illustrated
  8. told
Verb
  • Fliers mailed by the School Freedom Fund, a PAC affiliated with Club for Growth, depicted candidates as supporters of drag queens.
    — Henry Culvyhouse, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2026
  • All the colors depicted inside the whale were based on real-life anatomy.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of depicted
Verb
  • For 10 years, the rise and fall of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has been chronicled, documented and fictionalized.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The turbulence and dangers of these pre-war years were chronicled in a series of Penguin Specials, all written for Penguin and selling hugely.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of chronicled
Verb
  • Adam Hamilton Hamilton, the Democratic nominee, has characterized the war as a major foreign policy blunder.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Shigella bacteria cause shigellosis, an illness characterized by severe diarrhea, that is sometimes bloody or prolonged, and fever.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of characterized
Verb
  • The story summarizes and analyzes the Cubs’ criticism of Wrigley View Rooftop’s business model of selling seats and concessions to ticket holders to watch events at Wrigley Field, a business model the Cubs portrayed as parasitic.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Across his career and many roles, Riehle has portrayed Santa Claus in eight different projects, including five films, two television shows, and a television movie.
    — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of portrayed
Verb
  • The boys recounted their experiences to camp counselors, who were dismissive of their complaints according to court records reviewed by The Star.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026
  • That wasn’t all, Maysa Jalbout, the director of Education Can’t Wait, recounted of her recent visit to the school.
    — Edith M. Lederer, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of recounted
Verb
  • The Packers have appeared to find some consistency on the defensive side, and their passing attack is defined enough to attack this Cowboys secondary.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2026
  • And the fact that its end coincides with an onslaught of other work is not lost on Brammall, whose career, with a few exceptions, has been largely defined by his work in the Southern Hemisphere.
    — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of defined
Verb
  • The wondrous story was adapted by frequent Laika collaborator Chris Butler from the epic 2011 novel written by Colin Meloy (frontman for indie rock band the Decemberists, whose original music is featured here) and illustrated by Carson Ellis.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The blockbuster ambitions are best illustrated by the production’s recruitment of Rambaldi.
    — J. Kim Murphy, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of illustrated
Verb
  • Estefanía Mondragón, executive director of PODER of Idaho told the crowd to expect at least 12 more immigration bills in next year’s legislative session.
    — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Weeks before the shootdown, the spies allegedly reported on the naval airbase in Key West and were told to transmit Brothers to the Rescue flight data back to the Cuban authorities.
    — Liv Caputo Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of told

Browse Nearby Words

describe
described
describes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Described.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/described. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of emissary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All