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

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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?

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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 Other negotiators described him as highly competent with a command of the details. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026 Well, Newcastle United’s new head coach Matthias Jaissle has been described as exactly that by the club’s chief executive David Hopkinson. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026 Welch has described his mishandling of this matter as a systemic failure. — David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026 Why this specific era The pre-digital pull described above—60% wishing for a time before constant connectivity—points toward an era before the internet, not necessarily this one specifically. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026 Tinnitus, often described as ringing in the ears, can cause profound distress. — Alison Karlene Hodgins, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2026 The acoustic/electronic modes of production and glitchiness might be described as a gorp-core version of hyperpop. — Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026 Four Paws, the international animal-welfare organization overseeing the transfer, described it as one of the largest relocations of captive big cats in the world. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 Schmidhuber described artificial curiosity as similar to how children learn. — Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for described
  1. depicted
  2. chronicled
  3. characterized
  4. portrayed
  5. recounted
  6. defined
  7. illustrated
  8. told
Verb
  • There had been a portrait that may have depicted the real-life Billy, and it could have been used, but Ondaatje was advised by his poet friend bpNichol to leave the space blank.
    — Amitava Kumar, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
  • This may be overstated, but Scarlett Johansson, then residing in the country, won a 2014 decision in French court against a French author who, in a novel, depicted a Johansson doppelganger as carrying out multiple affairs.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of depicted
Verb
  • Buss’ tenure and the family drama has been direct inspiration for two television shows and was chronicled in a docuseries the Lakers produced.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The Kansas City Star has chronicled every Chiefs training camp practice at Missouri Western State University this summer, tracking position battles, injuries and standout performances.
    — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of chronicled
Verb
  • The administration has almost always characterized Iran never getting a nuclear weapon as the overriding concern.
    — Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • In ordinary tax terminology, income, property, and estate taxes are often described as direct taxes, while sales, excise, and customs duties are generally characterized as indirect taxes.
    — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of characterized
Verb
  • Wuornos, a serial killer who murdered seven men in 1989 and 1990, was previously portrayed by Charlize Theron in the 2003 film Monster.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
  • As so often, the new stadium was portrayed as a symbol of a brighter future.
    — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of portrayed
Verb
  • The first drone seemingly detonated after crashing onto the gas tanks of La Negra Francisca, the crew recounted, while the second appears to have dropped an explosive.
    — Michael Rios, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The injured passenger, a 61-year-old Serbian man, later recounted his experience to The Guardian.
    — Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of recounted
Verb
  • That was the beginning of three championships in four years, and the run-heavy program defined by the full house/wing T formation had taken off.
    — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Some of the electric bikes the public sees aren’t defined as such by state law.
    — Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of defined
Verb
  • Inspired by the transient beauty of cherry blossoms, known in Japan as sakura — which is illustrated in their album cover, alongside a dark pegasus — much of the LP also hinges on melodrama.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Showing is More Effective than Telling Every strong personal statement should have a clear takeaway for the admissions reader—but that takeaway should be illustrated through the writing itself, rather than declared outright in the conclusion.
    — Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of illustrated
Verb
  • Dallas appellate attorney David Coale, who has handled appeals for decades, told CBS News Texas after the trial that Anthony's team could have several strong arguments over whether the trial was handled correctly.
    — CBS Texas Staff, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Nearly an hour after Nolan was last seen, friends on one of the boats noticed its bilge pump had failed and water was rapidly filling the hull, Tyler Cox and Edward Paltzik, attorneys for the friends, told CNN.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of told

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Cite this Entry

“Described.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/described. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of described for Spanish Speakers

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