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
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Recent Examples of portraits
The imagery, made in Haiti, New York, Florida, and her current home of Los Angeles, uses both personal, documentary photographs and more surreal, formal portraits to link Cadet’s personal history to a broader meditation on the Black diasporic experience.
—
Elly Fishman, Vogue, 8 May 2026
Artists in the 18th century would often include a person of color, who would sometimes be imaginary, in their portraits of wealthy white sitters to embellish the painting and highlight the high status of the main subject, according to the researchers.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Zero George doesn’t clobber you over the head with history (no 19th-century portraits, chunky mahogany heirlooms, or oriental rugs).
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026
My earlier works were more contained, often focusing on a single figure or a small group, almost like portraits of an emotional state.
—Thomas Patier, Artforum, 7 May 2026
Her biting and formally audacious narratives examine class, politics and — a speciality — the interiority of women through enigmatic portraits of psychologically complex individuals.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
John Singer Sargent's Madame X is one of the most famous portraits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, and several stars drew on it for inspiration.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Truth be told, these portraits can be colorful, impactful statements in any room.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
The artworks are enhanced with portraits of the artists and brief statements about their art.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
Elly Fishman, Vogue, 8 May 2026
Artists in the 18th century would often include a person of color, who would sometimes be imaginary, in their portraits of wealthy white sitters to embellish the painting and highlight the high status of the main subject, according to the researchers.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Zero George doesn’t clobber you over the head with history (no 19th-century portraits, chunky mahogany heirlooms, or oriental rugs).
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026
My earlier works were more contained, often focusing on a single figure or a small group, almost like portraits of an emotional state.
—Thomas Patier, Artforum, 7 May 2026
Her biting and formally audacious narratives examine class, politics and — a speciality — the interiority of women through enigmatic portraits of psychologically complex individuals.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
John Singer Sargent's Madame X is one of the most famous portraits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, and several stars drew on it for inspiration.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Truth be told, these portraits can be colorful, impactful statements in any room.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
The artworks are enhanced with portraits of the artists and brief statements about their art.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portraits
Noun
-
Officials have said the descriptions reflect observations made at the time and do not include conclusions about the nature of the phenomena.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
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According to descriptions by people who knew her, Martha was about 5 feet tall.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Fallon showed framed pictures of him hanging out with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and posing with racecar studs Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
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Rittenhouse also posted pictures of himself in a hospital bed as well as a close-up shot of the spider's bite mark.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
Noun
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For its inaugural season, in partnership with the Vasarely Foundation, the hotel debuted an exhibition across its lawn that drew over 30,000 visitors, and each guest room features a work by Dutch painter Roan van Oort, who is known for his textured canvases and raw depictions of the natural world.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
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Though several artworks from the 1600s may well represent Shakespeare, only two are widely regarded as possibly accurate depictions.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These portrayals offer gentle surprises and a nice emotional balance.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
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Pentagon leaders’ positive portrayals present an incomplete picture at best, people familiar with intelligence assessments told us.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The costumes Saar made herself for these occasions are also well-documented in the exhibition through photographs and sketches.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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Each episode will feature four different sketches.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portraits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portraits. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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