portrayed

past tense of portray
1
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

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 portrayed Attorneys for Nicholas La Strada, the former director of election integrity under Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, portrayed their client as a loyal Republican who ran afoul of the office after raising concerns about its conduct. Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026 Much of the debate has focused on how Islam is portrayed in the new standards. Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026 For the September 21, 2026, issue, Dean Rohrer portrayed the city as a place for new beginnings. Françoise Mouly, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026 Knox also penned an episode of the miniseries, in which she’s portrayed by Grace Van Patten. Jami Ganz, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Sep. 2026 That was portrayed in some quarters as a mass exodus, one that would inevitably lead to the remainder of Newcastle’s best players departing as well — if not during the window just gone, then next summer. Chris Waugh, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 But once the gameday lights go hot, nobody tunes in to hear white people get portrayed as usurpers. Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Beatty portrayed River—the kindhearted fiancée of one of the siblings—until the play closed in June 2024. Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Sep. 2026 Cats have at least been associated with women and mysticism since ancient Egypt and the goddess Bast, often portrayed as a women’s body with the head of a feline. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portrayed
Verb
  • The modern American Dream is best described as a private bunker where the outside world arrives entirely in a cardboard box or a fiber-optic cable.
    John Mac Ghlionn, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Strahan described the chaos in New York City amid the rescue efforts and the accompanying bomb threats and noted that the Giants could still see smoke from the twin towers from the team’s practice fields.
    Michael Silver, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The Nevada Independent previously reported on Thursday that the Nevada secretary of state’s office received the seven subpoenas, which the office characterized as being from the FBI.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Latvia characterized the Leipzig attack in even stronger terms.
    Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • But Arch Manning leading a news conference’s laughing praise of an AI video that depicted his coach back-handing Holly Rowe?
    Jason Kirk, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The political and economic conditions in Turkey today affect towns like the one depicted in the film.
    Roberto Prieto, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Richard Heathcote/Getty Images The 25-year-old was often rotated and played only 2,623 minutes across Ligue 1 and the Champions League but still managed 18 goals and 10 assists.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Sabalenka held and then played one of her best games of the match, breaking at love to tie it at 4-all.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Andy Williams, the pro wrestler known as The Butcher who performed in several promotions including All Elite Wrestling (AEW), died after suffering a medical emergency during a show.
    Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Testing and inspections must be performed at the appropriate stages.
    Javier Campaña Minchong, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Still, its criticism of AI and robotics has been interpreted as a jab at the tech mogul, whose businesses include Tesla and the artificial intelligence company xAI, which developed the chatbot Grok.
    Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
  • His comments were widely interpreted as advocating a rate hike, though several key officials over the past few weeks have counseled a more patient approach.
    Jeff Cox, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Portrayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portrayed. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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