limning

verb

present participle of limn
as in describing
to give a representation or account of in words he limned the scene in the courtroom so perfectly I could practically see it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 limning Introduced in a state of drunken collapse, Anderson — fearful, bitter, despairing, protective — is quite magnificent limning different levels of intoxication. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for limning
  1. describing
  2. depicting
  3. portraying
Verb
  • Over three dozen letters from friends, family and neighbors describing their generosity and kindness were submitted.
    — Kara Scannell, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Moghadam also said that Tehran would study the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement that includes Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey before deciding whether to support it, describing it as a potential instrument for unity.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of describing
Verb
  • Sacramento police have arrested two Sacramento men in connection with the theft of the bronze sculpture depicting Ben Ali, California’s first Kentucky Derby winner, in Old North Sacramento.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The camera lingers on the building’s triangular windows and towering bronze sculpture depicting hands passing a Torah from one generation to the next.
    — Yael Buechler, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of depicting
Verb
  • The younger Bolsonaro has denied climate change while portraying himself as an environmental defender, without detailing plans to protect the Amazon or support forest financing.
    — Gabriela Sá Pessoa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, there are AI safety researchers who fear that portraying such incidents as easily remedied security failures gives political cover to those who want AI development to proceed unchecked.
    — Harry Booth, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of portraying

Browse Nearby Words

limned
limning
limns
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Limning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/limning. Accessed 26 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 disparate

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
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