as in portrayals
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
Projecting his short film and those character portraits was such an interesting concept to start.
—
Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
All in all, Pantzer's keen eye and relationships netted him 38 of the artist's watercolors, 3,000 engravings and seven life portraits, according to Newfields' collection overview.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 26 Sep. 2025
From Afghan women wielding mobile phones against Taliban rule, to Gaza’s first para-cycling team, and Iran’s cosmetic industry paradox, urgent portraits of resilience and survival dominated pitches at the 21st Lau Haizetara Documentary Co-Production Forum, part of the San Sebastián Festival.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
The White House has received criticism after unveiling a grand new presidential gallery which features portraits of all the Presidents in chronological order, with one notable exception.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
Black and white presidential portraits now hang along the colonnade near the Oval Office in gold frames.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
The exhibit features recent portraits and figurative paintings that explore nostalgia, sexuality and companionship.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2025
The anthropologist claims that the rulers carved on the 1,300-year-old Altar Q are not just striking royal portraits.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2025
Her portraits of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor are two of the most important artworks created in the 21st century, testaments to Black excellence and the epidemic of police violence.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
All in all, Pantzer's keen eye and relationships netted him 38 of the artist's watercolors, 3,000 engravings and seven life portraits, according to Newfields' collection overview.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 26 Sep. 2025
From Afghan women wielding mobile phones against Taliban rule, to Gaza’s first para-cycling team, and Iran’s cosmetic industry paradox, urgent portraits of resilience and survival dominated pitches at the 21st Lau Haizetara Documentary Co-Production Forum, part of the San Sebastián Festival.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
The White House has received criticism after unveiling a grand new presidential gallery which features portraits of all the Presidents in chronological order, with one notable exception.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
Black and white presidential portraits now hang along the colonnade near the Oval Office in gold frames.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
The exhibit features recent portraits and figurative paintings that explore nostalgia, sexuality and companionship.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2025
The anthropologist claims that the rulers carved on the 1,300-year-old Altar Q are not just striking royal portraits.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2025
Her portraits of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor are two of the most important artworks created in the 21st century, testaments to Black excellence and the epidemic of police violence.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portraits
Noun
-
From the modernist, Black figuration of Kwami’s ceramics to Abban’s documentary portrayals of Ghanaian protest movements and architecture, these artists responded to the distinctive, pedestrian layers of postcolonial life.—
Edna Bonhomme,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
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Women artists within the movement often drew on its dreamlike language to counter male surrealists’ idealized and objectifying portrayals of women, reclaiming their own agency and identity.—
Sally Jane Brown,
The Conversation,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The town's growing acknowledgement of its past comes at an odd time for a county that voted 76% for the president in 2024, which since being reelected has tried to erase negative depictions of the country's past.—
Jenna McMurtry,
NPR,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Seriously though, the chemistry between Stewart and O’Brian is off the charts, which is all too rare for cinematic depictions of gender-nonconforming women.—
James Factora,
Them.,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The only thing neighbors’ cameras will share are pictures and clips of dogs that could be yours.—
Mike Feibus,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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The reporter had already sent me pictures and audio recordings, promising a complete draft by Monday night.—
Zahra Nader,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Horn didn’t disagree with those descriptions, but said Dowdle’s skill set is more layered.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
The 89-minute film also featured Swift's descriptions of each song playing before lyric videos for the new tracks.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The second weekend of the season brings a guest appearance by Elfman at a concert dedicated to his music for the films of Tim Burton enhanced by visuals of original sketches and drawings from the films.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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Any unruliness was saved for the sketches.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portraits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portraits. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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