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
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to play
to present a portrayal or performance of
gained fame portraying Susan B. Anthony in a one-woman show
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of portray
What to Know Khamenei's remarks on Saturday underscored his enduring hostility toward U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and portrayed Washington as a destabilizing force.
—
Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
Natalie Portman will portray Franklin in a screen version of Photograph 51 directed by Tom Hooper.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 19 May 2025
Starmer can now portray himself as someone who is trying to clean up the worst of the immigration disaster the Tories left behind.
—The Editors, National Review, 17 May 2025
In fact, Winter played the granddaughter of O'Neill, who portrayed the shoe-selling character on Married ... With Children.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
Natalie Portman will portray Franklin in a screen version of Photograph 51 directed by Tom Hooper.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 19 May 2025
Starmer can now portray himself as someone who is trying to clean up the worst of the immigration disaster the Tories left behind.
—The Editors, National Review, 17 May 2025
In fact, Winter played the granddaughter of O'Neill, who portrayed the shoe-selling character on Married ... With Children.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for portray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portray
Verb
-
Over hours of harrowing testimony, Cassie described acquiescing to Diddy.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
13 May 2025
-
In my book Status Quo is Not Company Policy: Empowering Innovation Through Adaptive Leadership, my coauthor interviewed our Engineering Manager, who described his experience prior to coming to Rayburn.—
David A. Naylor,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Verb
-
Symptoms of Preeclampsia It's characterized by high blood pressure that usually develops after the 20th week of pregnancy, says Dr. Reed.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
15 May 2025
-
Lastly, Bowman is being characterized as someone who wants massive deregulation of banks which, while ideal (see the above discussion of Supervision), doesn’t play well at the Fed.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
Verb
-
Currently in production and slated for a 2026 release, the action thriller depicts a biotechnology conference that descends into chaos when a rapidly mutating virus transforms the infected, forcing authorities to seal off the facility with survivors trapped inside.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
13 May 2025
-
The artworks depict subjects like a tree outside a window, a living room and a waterfront in Zurich.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 May 2025
Verb
-
While physicians don’t have a definitive answer as to why heart failure typically causes cognitive decline, the following factors may play a role: Changes to the heart.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
Health,
16 May 2025
-
In his new Max series premiering Thursday, Duster, Holloway plays an Arizona getaway driver in the early 1970s.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2025
Verb
-
The drop represents the first month-to-month decline since October 2024.—
Jane Onyanga-Omara,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
-
There have been instances in which white farmers in the country have been killed in racially motivated attacks, but such crimes do not represent a disproportionate share of the murders in the country, which struggles with a high rate of violent crime.—
Ali Breland,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
Verb
-
This has forced the library system to pay a contractor $1,500 per month to power-wash the area outside the branch twice a week during the morning hours after previously relying on in-house personnel to perform the task.—
Joseph Flaherty,
Arkansas Online,
23 May 2025
-
Irsay was a musician himself, as the lead vocalist and frontman of the Jim Irsay Band, which performed shows across the country with guest performers including John Mellencamp and Ann Wilson.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
22 May 2025
Verb
-
The emergence of multimodal LLMs, which can interpret speech, images, video and text, is opening up a new class of cross-functional, intelligent workflows.—
Umair Javed,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
-
And in February, the State Department removed a statement about not supporting Taiwan’s independence from its website—a deletion that China interpreted as provocative.—
Oriana Skylar Mastro,
Foreign Affairs,
20 May 2025
Verb
-
Like the Kearns have done, families could split into different rooms, as well, depending on the age of their children.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
12 May 2025
-
Among Democrats, 90% disapprove of Trump’s higher education tactics, as do 65% of Independents.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portray. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share