as in depiction
a vivid representation in words of someone or something
his novel presents a moving portrayal of a woman searching for personal fulfillment and happiness
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of portrayal
Returning, older and maybe a bit wiser to their roles as Finn and Gwen, Thames and McGraw are excellent, both taking their characters into three dimensions and giving them real gravitas unlike a lot of teen portrayals in more by-the-numbers horror sequels.
—
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
Zimmer also received an Emmy nod for her portrayal of ruthless executive Quinn King on Unreal (2015–2018).
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
In the days after the Sora app was released, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced changes to the app providing rights holders the ability to opt into their likenesses being depicted by AI, rather than such portrayals being allowed by default.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 17 Oct. 2025
There is no detail of his public portrayal that does not concern him.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portrayal
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
Zimmer also received an Emmy nod for her portrayal of ruthless executive Quinn King on Unreal (2015–2018).
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
In the days after the Sora app was released, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced changes to the app providing rights holders the ability to opt into their likenesses being depicted by AI, rather than such portrayals being allowed by default.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 17 Oct. 2025
There is no detail of his public portrayal that does not concern him.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portrayal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portrayal
Noun
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But pop culture’s depiction of cowboys and the American West is selective.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
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Bondi reacted to the sketch by embracing her depiction.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There’s something almost Arcadian in Jacqueline Overton’s 1933 description of this landscape of labor.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
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One thing Gacy left out of his description of his home was the crawl space under the house.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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His portraits poked a hole into the romantic mythology of the American West, telling instead a story of poverty and struggle.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
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One of the most moving stories in the film is the portrait of a father and son bonding over their love of geek culture.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The big-picture story isn’t any better.—
Veronique De Rugy,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
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Nearly six months later, though, a slightly different picture is emerging; ironically, a glance at Rotten Tomatoes — more of which later — shows that the film is now firmly rated just about Fresh with critics and audiences alike, with approval scores of 69% and 65%, respectively.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portrayal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portrayal. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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