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
Outside of City Hall on Thursday morning, a black van with a mobile billboard displayed portraits of Metayer Bowen and bouquets of flowers were left on the walkway outside the building.
—
Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Elsewhere, Paula Rego’s two self portraits from 2017 show the artist howling through expressive pastel strokes.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Classicolor is a general-purpose color-negative 35-mm film (ISO 200), ideal for daily use, portraits or capturing travel experiences.
—New Atlas, 1 Apr. 2026
The tradition of supers becoming supersized as sculptures, portraits, and paintings is long and storied.
—Irene Kim, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2026
Masses of pro-government supporters gathered in Tehran last night, holding flags and portraits of Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
—Rebecca Shabad, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
Indian portraits, too, were typically studio-based, meaning that individuals were literally removed from any landscape.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 24 Mar. 2026
The Art World of the 1980s (1988), and the comprehensive six-volume set The Lives of Artists (2019), all of which collect his New Yorker portraits.
—News Desk, Artforum, 22 Mar. 2026
Golden hour provides the perfect lighting for those dreamy bluebonnet portraits.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Elsewhere, Paula Rego’s two self portraits from 2017 show the artist howling through expressive pastel strokes.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Classicolor is a general-purpose color-negative 35-mm film (ISO 200), ideal for daily use, portraits or capturing travel experiences.
—New Atlas, 1 Apr. 2026
The tradition of supers becoming supersized as sculptures, portraits, and paintings is long and storied.
—Irene Kim, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2026
Masses of pro-government supporters gathered in Tehran last night, holding flags and portraits of Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
—Rebecca Shabad, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
Indian portraits, too, were typically studio-based, meaning that individuals were literally removed from any landscape.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 24 Mar. 2026
The Art World of the 1980s (1988), and the comprehensive six-volume set The Lives of Artists (2019), all of which collect his New Yorker portraits.
—News Desk, Artforum, 22 Mar. 2026
Golden hour provides the perfect lighting for those dreamy bluebonnet portraits.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portraits
Noun
-
Culin also consulted with other scholars and collectors to produce his final report 14 years later, which includes over 1,100 illustrations and descriptions of 239 sets of dice from 130 different tribes.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The dark side featured the rise of Hitler, descriptions of Kristallnacht — when Nazi youth ransacked Jewish homes and stores in 1938 — and Nazi plans for the Final Solution, or genocide of all European Jews.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One of those pictures was with Luca Gamauf, a university student.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The management also tossed pictures of his kids.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The flashbacks to Emma’s adolescence, which Borgli films with some curiosity, are far more engaging than the film’s depictions of the chatty Boston bourgeoisie, which exude self-satisfied certainty.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Icons are ancient works of religious art, often depictions of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, saints and scenes from the Bible.—
Olivia Wakim,
AJC.com,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The late Catherine O'Hara and Annie Murphy both won Emmys when the series swept the comedy categories in 2020 for their portrayals of Moira and Alexis Rose, who were forced to move to a small town after a scamming business manager made off with their fortune.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
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Yet these portrayals carry both opportunity and responsibility.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Whale lusts after a hunky gardener (Brendan Fraser) and persuades him to pose for a few sketches; Julian, though bisexual, expresses no such interest in Lori, and any art-making turns out to be a gratifyingly mutual endeavor.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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Fast cuts, wild sketches, punchlines flying like confetti.—
Jeremy Helligar,
PEOPLE,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portraits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portraits. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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