1
as in to describe
to give a representation or account of in words
the author portrays her characters with lifelike vividness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to characterize
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group
traditionally, European authors portrayed the natives as wise and noble
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3
as in to depict
to present a picture of
a landscape that portrays the scenery near the town where the painter grew up
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4
as in to play
to present a portrayal or performance of
gained fame portraying Susan B. Anthony in a one-woman show
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of portray
The Doomsday cast also includes Channing Tatum's return as Gambit after portraying the character in Deadpool & Wolverine.
—
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Speaking on the No-Contest Wrestling podcast, Frazer discussed his original desire to portray a heel character in NXT.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
As the White House attempts to portray the government’s closure as Schumer’s shutdown, aides have downplayed the reports regarding air traffic controller pay.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2025
In fact, every No Kings speaker offered a version of this, portraying pluralist liberalism as a way to follow in the founders’ footsteps.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Speaking on the No-Contest Wrestling podcast, Frazer discussed his original desire to portray a heel character in NXT.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
As the White House attempts to portray the government’s closure as Schumer’s shutdown, aides have downplayed the reports regarding air traffic controller pay.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2025
In fact, every No Kings speaker offered a version of this, portraying pluralist liberalism as a way to follow in the founders’ footsteps.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portray
Verb
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In the early 2010s, Courtois was part of the team that discovered and described the Laniakea supercluster of galaxies to which our Milky Way belongs.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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Roberts Giuffre died by suicide in April, months before the publication of her book describing years of abuse.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Jim Trusty, Rozier’s attorney, strongly disputed the accusations, saying that prosecutors characterized Rozier as a subject of their investigation and not a target.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
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At the time, pranks characterized America’s Halloween celebrations.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Hines also said her memoir, Unscripted, depicts her relationship with her husband in a positive light.—
Greta Bjornson,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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What’s more, the substance of their scenes is as much a matter of Mateus’s images as of the action that’s depicted.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Pascal and Bad Bunny played the lothario's hot brothers.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Nov. 2025
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The Heat entered Tuesday’s matchup against the Hornets having outscored opponents by a total of 46 points in the 29 minutes that the bench quartet of Fontecchio, Jaquez, Jovic and Smith played together through the first three games of the season.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Attorneys representing Schwab asked the court for more time to file a motion to dismiss, court records show.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
31 Oct. 2025
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Social media creators, in particular, represent a treasure trove for AI companies thanks to their vast archives of video content, both published and unpublished.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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During the formative phase of the infant American republic, when its survival was still problematic, iconic founders performed a valuable function as reliable sources of unquestioned wisdom, a veritable gallery of Delphic oracles available on demand.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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Kevin previously performed the song solo for the first time at the band's Boston date in August.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Potential adversaries interpret political action in zero-sum terms; see malice and evil design in mere blunders and coincidence; trumpet necessity rather than navigate choice; and, in extreme cases, invent pretext or promise profit to make more palatable a dubious cause.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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Clothes that defy convention — of gender, of context, even of gravity — interpreting sculptural and oversized forms.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The company is also the only rubber manufacturer that can do full color digital printing on rubber, Hitt said.—
Sydney Sasser,
Arkansas Online,
30 Oct. 2025
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What Lewis is mostly in Denver to do, though, is block.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portray. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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