Synonyms of outlining

outlining

verb

present participle of outline

1

as in tracing

to draw or make apparent the outline of

she carefully outlined the tree before she started drawing in the leaves

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tracing
• defining
• sketching
• delineating
• circling
• surrounding
• trimming
• silhouetting
• lining
• rounding
• framing
• drawing
• bounding
• edging
• skirting
• encircling
• charting
• hemming
• rimming
• ringing
• looping
• fringing
• mapping (out)
• margining
• diagramming
• girdling
• girthing
• compassing

2

as in summarizing

to make into a short statement of the main points (as of a report)

outlined the important points in the introduction

Synonyms & Similar Words

• summarizing
• digesting
• briefing
• recapitulating
• encapsulating
• consolidating
• recapping
• summing up
• reprising
• abstracting
• synopsizing
• epitomizing
• condensing
• wrapping up
• boiling down
• curtailing
• shortening
• abridging
• cutting back
• downsizing
• shrinking
• simplifying
• streamlining
• concentrating
• decocting
• essentializing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extending
• lengthening
• prolonging
• expanding
• supplementing
• elongating
• amplifying
• protracting
• enlarging (on or upon)
• elaborating (on or upon)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of outlining

On Monday, hundreds of professional stand-up comedians flooded Instagram and TikTok with front-facing videos outlining an issue in the comedy community that had been brewing for months. — Christina Catherine Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Then OpenAI showed up While still at OpenAI, Almeida wrote a document outlining his idea for models optimized to work with software and showed it to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. — Wen Shao, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026

The allegations come after the California Department of Human Resources sent a notice in February 2022 outlining that departments cannot approve employee requests to regularly work from out-of-state locations. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026

An investigative panel produced a 99-page report outlining its findings, according to documents filed in court and reviewed by The Associated Press. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Look east and southeast after dark for the Great Square of Pegasus — four moderately bright stars (Scheat, Alpheratz, Markab and Algenib) outlining an enormous square. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026

In 2025, Stephen Blumberg, the director of the CDC division that oversees the survey, published a memo outlining the redesign. — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026

The report includes both the specific radiology findings plus a simplified report outlining all the results. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 29 Sep. 2026

Also included was a letter to Carlo Capasa, the president of the Camera Nazionale Della Moda Italiana, outlining their intentions. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 28 Sep. 2026