1
as in described
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 characterized
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 depicted
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 played
to present a portrayal or performance of
gained fame portraying Susan B. Anthony in a one-woman show
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of portrayed
That’s because Noelle’s a different type of protagonist, portrayed confidently by Al Zahrani, a woman contending with her own loss while trying to gain a more prominent job than being the scanner of a police documents.
—
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
On the opinion side, Paxton was heavily platformed and portrayed Cornyn as an enemy of the president.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
Jones portrayed Jackson as a newcomer attempting to buy the governor’s office and highlighted his past donations to Trump critics.
—Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 17 June 2026
Played by Kingston Rumi Southwick, Evan spends much of the season pushing against the suffocating boundaries set by his father Tom Loftis, portrayed by Matthew Rhys, only for a shocking revelation to fundamentally reshape their relationship by the finale.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 17 June 2026
References to Robin Hood first began appearing in the 14th century, and over the centuries that followed he has been portrayed in books, films and TV shows.
—Sam Peters, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
The character is often portrayed by white actors in blackface.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026
Based on the real-life author, the second-oldest Ingalls daughter is portrayed as a tomboy and animal lover with a big heart.
—Kelly Martinez, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
Hutcherson starred as Peeta Mellark opposite Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen, while Banks portrayed the flamboyant Capitol escort Effie Trinket.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
On the opinion side, Paxton was heavily platformed and portrayed Cornyn as an enemy of the president.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
Jones portrayed Jackson as a newcomer attempting to buy the governor’s office and highlighted his past donations to Trump critics.
—Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 17 June 2026
Played by Kingston Rumi Southwick, Evan spends much of the season pushing against the suffocating boundaries set by his father Tom Loftis, portrayed by Matthew Rhys, only for a shocking revelation to fundamentally reshape their relationship by the finale.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 17 June 2026
References to Robin Hood first began appearing in the 14th century, and over the centuries that followed he has been portrayed in books, films and TV shows.
—Sam Peters, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
The character is often portrayed by white actors in blackface.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026
Based on the real-life author, the second-oldest Ingalls daughter is portrayed as a tomboy and animal lover with a big heart.
—Kelly Martinez, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
Hutcherson starred as Peeta Mellark opposite Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen, while Banks portrayed the flamboyant Capitol escort Effie Trinket.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portrayed
Verb
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Last May, after playing through pain in his right hand, a slumping Alvarez was sidelined with what the team described as a muscle strain.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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Rondeau described her father as a devoted dad who took her to volleyball and softball practice, went camping with her and taught her about the outdoors.—
Nick Lunemann,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Verb
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The ambition is laudable and has characterized this institution from the beginning.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
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Yes, their courtship was singular, sweeping and at times volatile, but I was mostly struck by the acute disconnect between the way they were posthumously characterized by friends and family and the often misogynistic, reductive narrative that surrounded them at the time.—
Connor Hines,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Bradley the author eventually conceded that his research had been faulty and that the flag-raising in which his father had been involved was photographed by a Marine photographer earlier on the morning of February 23, 1945, and that Doc Bradley was not depicted in the famous Rosenthal photo.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
20 June 2026
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Puck reports that other key figures depicted in the film include OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, Elon Musk, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Verb
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The smallest nation by size (171 square miles) and population — 158,000, or twice the size of Arrowhead Stadium’s capacity — stood with all fans as the national anthems for both teams played.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
21 June 2026
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Dalal said their son played there daily with his friends, taking advantage of a club policy that allows children under five to enter without a membership.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
Verb
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Zac Brown Band performed the national anthem, and other stars who took part included comedians Nate Bargatze, Shane Gillis and Tony Hinchcliffe, as well as singers Luke Bryan and Kid Rock.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
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The measure performed best in central and west Davis, continuing the pattern established on election night.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Verb
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According to Reuters, the United States and European Union raised concerns that the resolution could be interpreted as creating a hierarchy among crimes against humanity by treating some atrocities as more serious than others.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2026
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Both Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act have long been interpreted to require that states provide services to Americans with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate.—
Cory Turner,
NPR,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portrayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portrayed. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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