1
as in to describe
to give a representation or account of in words
the author portrays her characters with lifelike vividness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Efforts to cancel student debt are portrayed not as social policy but as moral hazard.
—
Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
Who knows how the Wienermobile will be portrayed years from now.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the report states, the video call was a ruse, falsely portraying the child as safe and in the care of a non-relative in California.
—S.e. Jenkins, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Ryder will play Tabitha, Noah Taylor will portray Cyrus, Oscar Morgan will play Atticus and Kennedy Moyer will play Daisy.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for portray
Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
Who knows how the Wienermobile will be portrayed years from now.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the report states, the video call was a ruse, falsely portraying the child as safe and in the care of a non-relative in California.
—S.e. Jenkins, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Ryder will play Tabitha, Noah Taylor will portray Cyrus, Oscar Morgan will play Atticus and Kennedy Moyer will play Daisy.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for portray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portray
Verb
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Staffers have described their days as a dark bureaucratic comedy.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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Staying on topic about the Clintons’ early days in the White House, Hillary described the jarring transition from Arkansas to presidential life.—
Antonio Ferme,
Variety,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But South Korea's market has been characterized by volatility of late, with the Kospi experiencing some of the most outsized gyrations as a result of its concentration in a handful of stocks, as well as speculative positioning of retail traders.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
17 Apr. 2026
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The pilot program was characterized by SeaWorld San Diego Park President Tyler Carter as a conscientious move toward potentially phasing out fireworks.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Video shows Horner after the incident Video shown in court also depicted Horner afterward – smoking a cigarette and stopping at a gas station to clean the back of his truck.—
Andrea Lucia,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Another depicts a diver in the Arctic breaking a record for distance swum under ice with one breath.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The latter argument in this play is made by a local realtor, Elliot Emerson, played by Richard Thomas in a self-aware bit of casting within director Kenny Leon’s Broadway production by Manhattan Theatre Club.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
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The latter argument in this play is made by a local realtor, Elliot Emerson, played by Richard Thomas in a self-aware bit of casting within Kenny Leon’s Broadway production at Manhattan Theatre Club.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The footage shows Coyote hiring billboard accident lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte) and his legal team to sue the Acme corporation — represented by its slick corporate counsel, Buddy Crane (John Cena) — for its defective products.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
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To investigate the allegations, the company hired Alex Spiro, a lawyer known for aggressively representing Elon Musk — including in defamation cases and litigation related to purchasing Twitter — and Eric Adams when he was charged with corruption.—
Irin Carmon,
Vulture,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Her son, Anand Bhosle, told reporters that her last rites will be performed on Monday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The Demon Hunters’ song picked up a Grammy win, a first for the genre of K-pop, and KATSEYE performed during the best new artist mashup at the award show’s broadcast ceremony.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Queen Mary wore a navy blue suit for the royal occasion and the dark hue was interpreted as a gesture of respect following her father's death, while still celebrating her mother-in-law's birthday.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
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Models may learn to interpret actions, but translating that into physically executable behavior remains difficult.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That leaves Washington at a strange juncture, with widespread agreement among lawmakers that something should be done to address the issue of prediction markets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
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LaCava said money is set aside for a complete repaving of Via Capri once utility work in the area is done.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portray. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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