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
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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
The first adaptation of author Mary Shelley's classic 1818 novel came in 1931, when Boris Karloff portrayed the monster in Frankenstein.
—
Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2025
On the big screen, Harford cared for Sandra Dee’s Rosalie Stocker in The Wild and the Innocent (1959) and portrayed the opportunistic older sister of Natalie Wood’s unstable title character in Inside Daisy Clover (1965), the melodrama directed by Robert Mulligan.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 9 Nov. 2025
Bernard Fox portrayed the overzealous fighter pilot Captain Winston Havelock.
—Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025
But while the war in Sudan has most often been portrayed as an internal conflict between two warring generals, the murky involvement of several foreign powers makes the conflict far more complex – and deadly.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Helmed by Fuse Kittisak Cheewasatjasakun, the series follows two female architects, portrayed by Kao Supassara Thanachart and Jane Methika Jiranorraphat, whose romantic relationship deteriorates into professional animosity after one uses the other’s designs in a competition without permission.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
An eager, fanboying Guiteau, portrayed with impeccable precision by Matthew Macfadyen, emerges from a crowd to shake the man’s hand.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Sometimes, the expiration of a CBA is portrayed as the start of a labor dispute, but that’s often not true.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 Oct. 2025
In Ibsen’s play, Eilert is a recovering alcoholic and accomplished writer whose life has turned around thanks to his new girlfriend, Thea (portrayed in the movie by Imogen Poots).
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2025
On the big screen, Harford cared for Sandra Dee’s Rosalie Stocker in The Wild and the Innocent (1959) and portrayed the opportunistic older sister of Natalie Wood’s unstable title character in Inside Daisy Clover (1965), the melodrama directed by Robert Mulligan.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 9 Nov. 2025
Bernard Fox portrayed the overzealous fighter pilot Captain Winston Havelock.
—Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025
But while the war in Sudan has most often been portrayed as an internal conflict between two warring generals, the murky involvement of several foreign powers makes the conflict far more complex – and deadly.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Helmed by Fuse Kittisak Cheewasatjasakun, the series follows two female architects, portrayed by Kao Supassara Thanachart and Jane Methika Jiranorraphat, whose romantic relationship deteriorates into professional animosity after one uses the other’s designs in a competition without permission.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
An eager, fanboying Guiteau, portrayed with impeccable precision by Matthew Macfadyen, emerges from a crowd to shake the man’s hand.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Sometimes, the expiration of a CBA is portrayed as the start of a labor dispute, but that’s often not true.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 Oct. 2025
In Ibsen’s play, Eilert is a recovering alcoholic and accomplished writer whose life has turned around thanks to his new girlfriend, Thea (portrayed in the movie by Imogen Poots).
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portrayed
Verb
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Greenberg later described the behind-the-scenes conflict in stark terms.—
Elizabeth Rosner,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
-
According to the person who described Tuesday's decisions to the AP, Quinn and Kingsbury met in the morning to talk about the future of the team's offense, which features quarterback Jayden Daniels.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Steering away from the Banda music that has characterized her sound and biggest hits, the Mexican-American singer experiments with reggae, R&B, and folk cumbia on this eight-track set that also includes powerful audio affirmations by the singer.—
Jessica Roiz,
Billboard,
8 Nov. 2025
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The two-hour-plus interview was characterized by Carlson’s failure to directly challenge Fuentes’s points.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Both in California and Iowa, many Jesus People were certain the events depicted in Larry Norman’s song would occur in either 1981 or 1988.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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The footage released by CCTV depicted two opposing forces in the exercise.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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England only played one warm-up match before the series, against an England Lions team, while McCullum’s attack-minded philosophy has also been questioned amid a number of hapless dismissals during the series.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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After coming out of the game briefly three times in the first half, which ended with Boise State trailing 50-29, Meadow played all 20 minutes of the second half and the entirety of the three five-minute OT periods.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For example, Medicare reimburses $1,375 for a colonoscopy performed in a hospital outpatient department — and $862 for one performed in an independent ambulatory surgery center.—
Tomas J. Philipson,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
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The officers performed lifesaving measures until EMS arrived at the scene.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That fear can contribute to impulsive decisions, overtrading, and emotional fatigue - outcomes sometimes interpreted as personal failure rather than a response to the way risk is structured.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
5 Jan. 2026
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Indeed, the removal of Maduro could be interpreted as a slap in the face for Beijing, given a high-ranking Chinese delegation was hosted in his Caracas palace just hours earlier.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portrayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portrayed. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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