1
as in described
to give a representation or account of in words
the author portrays her characters with lifelike vividness
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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
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4
as in played
to present a portrayal or performance of
gained fame portraying Susan B. Anthony in a one-woman show
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Recent Examples of portrayed
Robin Hood was portrayed as a fox, Little John was depicted as a bear, Friar Tuck as a badger, Prince John as a lion, the sheriff of Nottingham as a wolf and Maid Marian as a vixen.
—
Angelique Jackson, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Radcliffe played the titular wizard Harry Potter in the beloved franchise, while Felton portrayed Potter's nemesis Draco Malfoy.
—Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
The creatives and executives behind Love Story have been public about the show’s stance of not reaching out to the real-life subjects portrayed in the series, including the Kennedys.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 6 Mar. 2026
Escola, who won an acting Tony, originally portrayed Mary Todd Lincoln, a role that has since been played by a series of stars including Tituss Burgess, Jinkx Monsoon, Jane Krakowski and John Cameron Mitchell.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 5 Mar. 2026
Perhaps Ethan's return, as well as their sister Lulu's awakening from a years-long coma in 2024 (now portrayed by Alexa Havins Bruening), will inspire Jackson to make another visit for a Spencer family reunion!
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026
Martin, who most recently portrayed Jake in Charlie Polinger’s The Plague, is repped by UTA and OneWonder.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
Oprah Winfrey portrayed her daughter in an HBO movie about the story.
—CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Against her better judgment and years after her tumultuous college romance with Stephen DeMarco (portrayed by real-life boyfriend Jackson White), Lucy chooses him one more time.
—Pamela Avila, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Angelique Jackson, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Radcliffe played the titular wizard Harry Potter in the beloved franchise, while Felton portrayed Potter's nemesis Draco Malfoy.
—Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
The creatives and executives behind Love Story have been public about the show’s stance of not reaching out to the real-life subjects portrayed in the series, including the Kennedys.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 6 Mar. 2026
Escola, who won an acting Tony, originally portrayed Mary Todd Lincoln, a role that has since been played by a series of stars including Tituss Burgess, Jinkx Monsoon, Jane Krakowski and John Cameron Mitchell.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 5 Mar. 2026
Perhaps Ethan's return, as well as their sister Lulu's awakening from a years-long coma in 2024 (now portrayed by Alexa Havins Bruening), will inspire Jackson to make another visit for a Spencer family reunion!
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026
Martin, who most recently portrayed Jake in Charlie Polinger’s The Plague, is repped by UTA and OneWonder.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
Oprah Winfrey portrayed her daughter in an HBO movie about the story.
—CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Against her better judgment and years after her tumultuous college romance with Stephen DeMarco (portrayed by real-life boyfriend Jackson White), Lucy chooses him one more time.
—Pamela Avila, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portrayed
Verb
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Supporters of Newsom’s proposal have described it as a fairness policy, to create a uniform system of work requirements.—
Andrew Graham
March 9,
Sacbee.com,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The chief of the AMIA investigative unit also issued an international arrest warrant for Ali Asghar Hejazi, a senior Iranian official described as a close aide to Khamenei who so far has apparently survived the attacks on Iran’s leadership.—
Juan Melamed,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Globe and Mail reported that AGO abandoned the deal after some acquisition committee members characterized Goldin’s comments about Israel’s war in Gaza as antisemitic.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The company has characterized the government’s evidence as relying on conjecture rather than hard data.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The three San Diego County bases are aware of the Inspector General’s report, and each separately told the Union-Tribune that their canine care is far better than depicted in the report.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Robin Hood was portrayed as a fox, Little John was depicted as a bear, Friar Tuck as a badger, Prince John as a lion, the sheriff of Nottingham as a wolf and Maid Marian as a vixen.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Biel, who played so well in 2025 Charlotte FC brought him back on permanent transfer in 2026, received a pass from Ashley Westwood on a set play and fired a shot into the back of the net.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Mar. 2026
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The two teams played their Class 6A Division ll girls state championship basketball game at the Alamodome in San Antonio on March 7, 2026.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Miller said that the site is inspected once a month, and that Oncor has performed an environmental assessment on the site concluding that there are no hazards associated with it.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
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Shavers also performed like a heavyweight boxer, delivering the basketball equivalent of an uppercut with a 27-footer from the right wing after Hyde Park pulled within 10 with six minutes left.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That year, Waldo created the Asian and Asian American Classical Caucus, which promotes the study of how Asian and Asian American cultures have interpreted antiquity.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
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While Anthropic has characterized the inquiry as routine, the Pentagon and Palantir interpreted it as a potential threat to their access.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portrayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portrayed. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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