Synonyms of portrayed

portrayed

verb

past tense of portray

1

as in described

to give a representation or account of in words

the author portrays her characters with lifelike vividness

Synonyms & Similar Words

• described
• depicted
• painted
• rendered
• characterized
• set out
• illustrated
• sketched
• pictured
• defined
• represented
• delineated
• recounted
• limned
• imaged
• drew
• summarized
• reported
• displayed
• related
• labeled
• narrated
• told
• exhibited
• demonstrated
• showed
• suggested
• outlined
• recited
• qualified
• traced
• hinted
• rehearsed
• drafted
• silhouetted
• vignetted
• touched off
• summed up
• redescribed
• reimaged

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• distorted
• colored
• misrepresented
• twisted
• falsified
• perverted
• warped
• garbled
• misstated
• misdescribed

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

• described
• characterized
• depicted
• defined
• represented
• identified
• charactered
• classified
• categorized
• indicated
• typed
• specified
• pigeonholed
• marked
• named
• colored
• stamped
• individualized
• distinguished
• particularized

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

• depicted
• represented
• described
• pictured
• documented
• rendered
• imaged
• outlined
• illustrated
• sketched
• showed
• delineated
• silhouetted
• caricatured
• diagrammed

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

• played
• depicted
• performed
• interpreted
• represented
• acted
• did
• impersonated
• dramatized
• rendered
• enacted
• role-played
• acted out
• pantomimed
• mimicked
• imitated
• masqueraded
• underplayed
• posed (as)
• overplayed
• mimed
• took on
• aped
• clowned
• playacted
• overacted
• starred (in)
• hammed
• costarred
• coacted

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of portrayed

Her excellent debut, 2007’s Free Food for Millionaires, features upwardly mobile Korean Americans whose desire for security Lee portrayed both sympathetically and critically. — Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026

Among the 41 characters portrayed as having narcolepsy, 68% were depicted as incapable or unreliable. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

Patrick Clancy also discussed his decision to forgive Lindsay Clancy and how she has been portrayed since the deaths. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026

Another poll, commissioned by an independent expenditure group supporting Raman, portrayed the race as a statistical tie, at least initially. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Emma is portrayed by Billie Lourd, who is one of Murphy’s most frequent collaborators. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026

Graham also portrayed an aspiring country singer in Paul Bartel’s Cannonball! — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026

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

For the September 21, 2026, issue, Dean Rohrer portrayed the city as a place for new beginnings. — Françoise Mouly, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026