Synonyms of portraying

portraying

verb

present participle of portray

1

as in describing

to give a representation or account of in words

the author portrays her characters with lifelike vividness

Synonyms & Similar Words

• describing
• depicting
• painting
• rendering
• characterizing
• illustrating
• picturing
• delineating
• defining
• representing
• setting out
• sketching
• recounting
• drawing
• limning
• relating
• outlining
• displaying
• summarizing
• showing
• telling
• narrating
• imaging
• demonstrating
• exhibiting
• reporting
• suggesting
• labeling
• reciting
• tracing
• hinting
• qualifying
• rehearsing
• drafting
• silhouetting
• summing up
• redescribing
• touching off
• reimaging
• vignetting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• distorting
• misrepresenting
• twisting
• falsifying
• coloring
• warping
• misstating
• perverting
• misdescribing
• garbling

2

as in characterizing

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

• describing
• characterizing
• depicting
• representing
• defining
• identifying
• charactering
• classifying
• categorizing
• indicating
• typing
• specifying
• pigeonholing
• marking
• distinguishing
• stamping
• naming
• coloring
• individualizing
• particularizing

3

as in depicting

to present a picture of

a landscape that portrays the scenery near the town where the painter grew up

Synonyms & Similar Words

• depicting
• representing
• describing
• picturing
• documenting
• imaging
• rendering
• showing
• outlining
• illustrating
• delineating
• sketching
• silhouetting
• caricaturing
• diagramming

4

as in playing

to present a portrayal or performance of

gained fame portraying Susan B. Anthony in a one-woman show

Synonyms & Similar Words

• playing
• performing
• depicting
• interpreting
• representing
• doing
• acting
• impersonating
• dramatizing
• enacting
• rendering
• imitating
• mimicking
• acting out
• masquerading
• aping
• taking on
• posing (as)
• pantomiming
• role-playing
• underplaying
• clowning
• playacting
• overplaying
• miming
• starring (in)
• overacting
• coacting
• hamming
• costarring

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of portraying

Trump had dismissed such fears, portraying the island as vital for the US’ defense. — Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau took their time exploring the collection of Star Wars vehicles on display, as Perry filmed a video of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen portraying Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker inside the original airspeeder. — Paul Chi, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2026

Potts played Mary, with Lorraine Toussaint portraying Rene, and the series used the women’s past and present to examine how their friendship endured through decades of social change. — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026

Dostoyevsky’s sniveling devil comes closest to portraying the man chiefly responsible for organizing the Final Solution. — Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026

Ultimately, the show attempts to draw a parallel between Lizzie Borden and Aileen Wuornos, portraying them as two women abused and mistreated by society who dared to fight back. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026

The former Sex and the City actor purchased the unit in 1994, when he was known for his theater work and for portraying Detective Mike Logan on Law & Order. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 17 Sep. 2026

Actors portraying patients arrived with realistic makeup and prosthetics designed to mimic blunt-force trauma, propeller injuries, burns and other emergency conditions. — Jessica Riley, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Saab was flown back to Venezuela, where Maduro’s regime publicly celebrated his return after spending years portraying him as a diplomat illegally detained by Washington. — Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026