as in description
a vivid representation in words of someone or something
his account created in the jurors' heads a detailed portrait of a lonely old man
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 portrait
The activists, all of whom were Kazakh nationals, protested near the border with China in November, burning Chinese flags and portraits of Chinese leader Xi Jinping and calling for the release of a Kazakh citizen detained in Xinjiang last year.
—
ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026
The Canadian filmmaker Sophy Romvari does something similar with the new movie Blue Heron, a semi-autobiographical piece whose structure loops in on itself, melding fact and fiction into a doleful portrait of a family tragedy.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
An intimate portrait of abstract painter Guggi that traces his journey from humble Irish beginnings—with friends Bono and Gavin Friday—through his post-punk phase and toward international acclaim as an uncompromising artist.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
The 1941 painting, Head of a Woman, is a portrait of the French artist’s lover and muse Dora Maar, an artist in her own right who was frequently painted by Picasso.
—Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for portrait
ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026
The Canadian filmmaker Sophy Romvari does something similar with the new movie Blue Heron, a semi-autobiographical piece whose structure loops in on itself, melding fact and fiction into a doleful portrait of a family tragedy.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
An intimate portrait of abstract painter Guggi that traces his journey from humble Irish beginnings—with friends Bono and Gavin Friday—through his post-punk phase and toward international acclaim as an uncompromising artist.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
The 1941 painting, Head of a Woman, is a portrait of the French artist’s lover and muse Dora Maar, an artist in her own right who was frequently painted by Picasso.
—Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for portrait
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portrait
Noun
-
Police were unable to provide a detailed description of the suspects, but described them as two African American men between 20 and 30 years of age.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The booster launched Northrop Grumman's previous cargo flight, NG-23, NASA's Crew-11 astronaut flight, the Axiom Space Ax-4 astronaut flight and three Starlink missions, according to a SpaceX description.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Jackson’s settlement with the Chandler family turned out to include an agreement that forbade the estate to participate in depictions of the events around Chandler’s allegation.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
These scenes had to be removed after attorneys for the Jackson estate realized there was a clause in the settlement that blocked the depiction or mention of Chandler in any movie.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The third act included a portrayal of an accuser whose past settlement with the performer’s estate stipulated that he would never be dramatized, leading the film to be retooled.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Michael’s deal with Pepsi is part of that, and the film’s portrayal of the horrifying accident that befell him during the filming of a Pepsi commercial — a spark set his hair, and scalp, on fire — makes the trauma feel like an outgrowth of Joe’s karma.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
By putting religious and profane art together—a picture of Christ on one wall and Apollo on another, both equalized in their prettiness—Raphael triggered centuries of decadence.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The cost of data collection is often framed in terms of hardware or labor, but this view misses the larger picture.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Her previous work includes being a cast member on Stapleview, the first live sketch show on TikTok, and co-starring in Zia Anger’s My First Film.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2026
-
More recently, Higher Ground has been setting up projects outside of Netflix, including the HBO sketch comedy series Life Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, from creator Larry David and Jeff Schaffer, which premieres in June.—
Kimberly Nordyke,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portrait.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portrait. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
