portraits

noun

plural of portrait
as in descriptions
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

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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 portraits The period-relevant portraits lining the walls, decorative accessories, and the bed with a canopy headboard transported us to another century. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Aug. 2026 After a moment of confusion, Queen Sofia moved to the far side, and the family posed for their colorful vacation portraits. — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026 The story first gained traction when Story's granddaughter, Natalie Lauren Sims, shared a video showing Jordan's picture hung up on her grandmother's wall alongside family portraits inside her grandmother's home. — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2026 Five portraits by Gordon Parks, the photographer acclaimed for documenting African American life throughout the Civil Rights Era, frame the foyer inside Usher’s gracious Atlanta home. — Jewel Wicker, Architectural Digest, 4 Aug. 2026 Reminders that Tibet is part of China are everywhere, from Chinese airport welcome messages and billboards promoting ethnic unity to Chinese national flags and President Xi Jinping portraits in public squares and buildings. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 While miniature portraits had grown in popularity before the advent of photography, Shushan estimates that only a dozen or so renowned artists were making eye portraits, including the painters George Engleheart and Richard Cosway. — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026 In 2025, Frazier showed freestanding portraits of New York Liberty players there in what was her first public art commission. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 Aug. 2026 Iosseliani’s poetic portraits of life on the Soviet periphery range from neorealist documentation of collective farms to playful snapshots of Tbilisi, with a light touch reminiscent of the French New Wave. — Rhoda Feng, New Yorker, 31 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portraits
  1. descriptions
  2. pictures
  3. depictions
  4. portrayals
  5. sketches
Noun
  • Job descriptions should reflect what the work truly requires.
    — Ethan Karp, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The most common dispatch descriptions over the year were sick persons, non-traumatic chest pain, trouble breathing, unconsciousness or fainting, abdominal pain and diabetic emergencies.
    — Vera Lucia Pappaterra, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of descriptions
Noun
  • Instead, Shemica, Luis and Immanuel’s pictures are on display on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department’s cold case website.
    — Maveah Griffith, Charlotte Observer, 6 Aug. 2026
  • An Intensity Slider – a simple sliding bar adjustment for controlling the depth, vibrancy, brightness and contrast of the TV’s pictures to compensate for viewing angles, onscreen reflections and simply different viewing tastes.
    — John Archer, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of pictures
Noun
  • Although Cassatt would become best known for her depictions of mothers and children, her patrons did not always share that preference.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The intensity of Harper’s writing, especially in his grisliest depictions of violence, can feel like the prose equivalent of trying to smash the glass.
    — Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of depictions
Noun
  • Film portrayals, even or perhaps especially powerful ones that change the legal landscape, often leave out the background socioeconomic considerations that shape individual decisions.
    — Vanessa Rampton, STAT, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Receiving acclaim for those realistic portrayals still doesn’t feel real to Infiniti.
    — Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2026
Definition of portrayals
Noun
  • The Sunday morning radio show features Israeli, Yiddish and Hasidic music, prizes, comedy sketches and brief news updates.
    — Roni Raab, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Robbins told Variety that this collaboration came about after Francesca showed her dad one of his sketches.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of sketches

Browse Nearby Words

portrait
portraits
portraiture
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Cite this Entry

“Portraits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portraits. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on portraits

Nglish: Translation of portraits for Spanish Speakers

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