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 actor, 62, was cast as President Coriolanus Snow — the character famously portrayed by the late Donald Sutherland in the original Hunger Games films — in Lionsgate's upcoming adaptation of Suzanne Collins' prequel novel in the series back in May.
—
Tommy McArdle, People.com, 21 June 2025
But many try to portray Iran’s hatred of Israel as some kind of thousand-year-old blood feud.
—Connor Okeeffe, Oc Register, 20 June 2025
Advertisement Failure to help bring peace to the Middle East could seriously dampen China’s recent efforts to portray itself as an effective global peacebroker, especially after Ukraine already rejected a peace plan Beijing had proposed in 2023.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 20 June 2025
Call Me Izzy, written by Jamie Wax, opens June 12, and sees Smart portray the title character, a woman who lives in rural Louisiana and yearns to write, but is held back by her husband.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
Tommy McArdle, People.com, 21 June 2025
But many try to portray Iran’s hatred of Israel as some kind of thousand-year-old blood feud.
—Connor Okeeffe, Oc Register, 20 June 2025
Advertisement Failure to help bring peace to the Middle East could seriously dampen China’s recent efforts to portray itself as an effective global peacebroker, especially after Ukraine already rejected a peace plan Beijing had proposed in 2023.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 20 June 2025
Call Me Izzy, written by Jamie Wax, opens June 12, and sees Smart portray the title character, a woman who lives in rural Louisiana and yearns to write, but is held back by her husband.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portray
Verb
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Francesca Cappelletti, Director of the Galleria Borghese, aptly describes Mutu’s work as encouraging a deeper, more intense way of looking — one that expands the museum experience beyond aesthetics into inquiry.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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His lawyer Jonathan Latimer described him as a man whose life was shaped by severe, untreated mental illness since his early 20s, and said the mental health treatment system failed him.—
Sheetal Banchariya,
New York Daily News,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Read: How Ivermectin became right-wing aspirin The devices are emblematic of the self-reliance that characterizes the MAHA movement.—
Olga Khazan,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2025
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Public figures and news outlets, then and now, have characterized it this way.—
David Wright Faladé,
Chicago Tribune,
19 June 2025
Verb
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The industry has come so far from what’s depicted in the show.—
David Blackmon,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
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Like at the Ssangyong factory, Gi-hun and his co-workers went on strike, which resulted in a violent clash with the police — a scene briefly depicted in episode 5 of Squid Game's first season.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
29 June 2025
Verb
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The Liberty were overpowered by a refreshed Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever squad while playing shorthanded without Jonquel Jones.—
Devin Robertson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
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There was a time when everyone at a crypto event saw themselves as an outsider, and the VC industry viewed crypto venture capitalists as a different breed playing a different game.—
Ani Freedman,
Fortune,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Miller, who represents Ohio's 7th District, is a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and has aligned himself with conservative positions in Congress.—
Dan Gooding
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
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The measure was a boon for large tech companies that have been rapidly building out data centers and was heavily backed by a trade association representing the industry.—
Paige Tortorelli,Pippa Stevens,Agne Tolockaite,
CNBC,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Most American metropolises perform well in the report’s measure of disposable income, particularly San Francisco (No. 3), Boston (No. 7), and Chicago (No. 8).—
Greg McKenna,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
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The English singer is also set to perform at the festival Saturday evening.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Scenes like this expose a widening gap between the one billion imaging studies clinicians will order annually and the shrinking radiology workforce available to interpret them.—
Yidi Xu,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
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The chapter’s first section responds to a tendency in Harry Potter studies to interpret the series as if its version of magic portrays a profoundly different and salutary alternative to Muggle technology.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
Verb
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Apps which are meant to make users safer and more secure but are doing the very opposite.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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The reason for Atlanta’s acidic soil as compared to L.A.’s alkaline soil has to do with the amount of rainfall in these two cities.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
28 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portray. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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