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
Turner portrays Zoé Debay, a beautiful and confident former child star who’s now on the verge of becoming an A-list actress.
—
Denise Petski, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
Other recommendations include improving rates of chronic absenteeism, eliminating legacy debt for school districts, improving teacher pay, increasing teacher diversity, increasing opportunities for summer learning and eliminating mascots portraying Native Americans in an offensive way.
—Lily Altavena, Freep.com, 25 Sep. 2025
The author incorrectly attributed a quote to Kirk to portray him as a racist, a fact with which the vice president took particular umbrage.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2025
In This Way Up, Khuyagaa portrays Mongolian contortionists, symbols of both strength and elegance.
—Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
Denise Petski, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
Other recommendations include improving rates of chronic absenteeism, eliminating legacy debt for school districts, improving teacher pay, increasing teacher diversity, increasing opportunities for summer learning and eliminating mascots portraying Native Americans in an offensive way.
—Lily Altavena, Freep.com, 25 Sep. 2025
The author incorrectly attributed a quote to Kirk to portray him as a racist, a fact with which the vice president took particular umbrage.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2025
In This Way Up, Khuyagaa portrays Mongolian contortionists, symbols of both strength and elegance.
—Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portray
Verb
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These are not only crafts -- they are described here as arts.—
Dada Jovanovic,
ABC News,
28 Sep. 2025
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Construction in the section of Jackson Park, often described as Chicago’s equivalent of Central Park, has been slow.—
Christine Valora,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The monsoon is characterized by intense heat, surges of moisture and atmospheric instability, creating clouds and storm chances in the afternoon.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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Abarca says complaints overblown Abarca, at the time, welcomed the investigation, characterizing the complaints as overblown.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Other Arizonans at the time voiced similar concerns of being depicted as rednecks and hillbillies.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
25 Sep. 2025
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In cathedral-worthy glory, the work rose six meters, depicting a surreal celestial sky with 12 levitating apples.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kirk played a pivotal role in helping Republicans close the gap among young voters in 2024.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
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The Astros are now one game behind the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians, with two games to play.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Gang Suppression Force is supposed to be overseen by a group representing the coalition of the willing, troop contributing countries.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
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Second, Tesla’s training approach, shifting toward vision-only imitation learning from human camera data, represents a strategic attempt to scale skill acquisition without hand-crafting controllers for each task.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The reggaeton star’s ability to perform entirely in Spanish while topping charts globally has rewritten the rules of what mainstream success looks like.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
29 Sep. 2025
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Just players performing the task at hand and being aware of certain situations.—
Nicki Jhabvala,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Accordingly, some interpret this as another blow to the London Stock Exchange (LSE), which is indeed how it was reported locally.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
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Under the public safety order, that same data — especially anything interpreted as a behavioral risk factor — could be flagged by AI as indicative of potential danger.—
Kate Caldwell,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Many of those that still produce a large share of their products in cities and towns such as Geneva, Vevey, and Zurich—like Nestlé’s Nespresso coffee arm, DSM-Firmenich, and heavy industrial equipment makers like ABB and Hitachi Energy—are unusual in being able to do so competitively.—
Peter Vanham,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
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But, to do you any good, squeezing the veins must propel the blood in the right direction, toward the heart.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portray. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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