as in portrait
a vivid representation in words of someone or something
the author's meticulous portraiture of a small Midwestern town at the turn of the century
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Recent Examples of portraiture
Linda McCartney was a photographer, musician and animal rights activist who rose to prominence in the 1960s with her portraiture of The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and The Doors.
—
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
Some of the figures will be instantly recognizable—Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson—and some of the depictions are based on historical portraiture.
—Peter Mendelsund, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
Despite that notable change, watching One Battle After Another is much like the experience of reading Pynchon, who lurches from high comedy to stomach-turning naturalism and punctuates plot-heavy sequences with little grace notes of character portraiture.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 24 Sep. 2025
Mixing political memory with collective portraiture, the Basque-language film explores post-Franco youthful idealism.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portraiture
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
Some of the figures will be instantly recognizable—Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson—and some of the depictions are based on historical portraiture.
—Peter Mendelsund, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
Despite that notable change, watching One Battle After Another is much like the experience of reading Pynchon, who lurches from high comedy to stomach-turning naturalism and punctuates plot-heavy sequences with little grace notes of character portraiture.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 24 Sep. 2025
Mixing political memory with collective portraiture, the Basque-language film explores post-Franco youthful idealism.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portraiture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portraiture
Noun
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In this intimate portrait of life during the exhilarating early days of the women’s liberation movement in Scandinavia in the 1970s, Pernille Ipsen tells the stories of the seven women who raised her, who were all part of the women’s movement in Denmark.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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Elizabeth was often photographed wearing them to galas and other royal occasions, and sat for a portrait with the jewels in the 1950s.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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All venues are equipped with accessibility measures including audio descriptions, sign language interpretation and multilingual dubbing.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
8 Nov. 2025
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Ma’s description of enormous, glistening grocery stores could be explained as the musings of a person who longs for stability and plentitude, or of a naive character who thinks of America as a land of boundless riches.—
Tope Folarin,
The Atlantic,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The show is a humorous, achingly accurate portrayal of two weary immigrant women who’ve seen the shiny promise of a better life wear off quick.—
Elizabeth B. Kim,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
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Even his portrayal of a man with advanced dementia, in The Father (2020), which won the Academy Award for Best Actor, emitted a disconcerting power.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Where the film succeeds is in its depiction of John and Greta as pawns of larger societal forces.—
Sarah Weinman,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
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These findings are at odds with Newsom’s constant depiction of California as an inspiring, pace-setting place with the fourth-largest economy in the world.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portraiture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portraiture. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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