1
as in describing
to give a representation or account of in words
the author portrays her characters with lifelike vividness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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
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 portraying
Lopez received high praise for her performance in Hustlers, portraying a real-life exotic dancer who targeted and schemed Wall Street clientele out of money.
—
Jen Juneau, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Strong has finalized his deal to play Zuckerberg in The Social Reckoning, portraying an older version of the Meta CEO than viewers saw in the 2010 movie.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2025
Both women played Effie White, with Holliday portraying the role first on Broadway, earning her a Grammy and Tony.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Other recommendations include improving rates of chronic absenteeism, eliminating legacy debt for school districts, improving teacher pay, increasing teacher diversity, increasing opportunities for summer learning and eliminating mascots portraying Native Americans in an offensive way.
—Lily Altavena, Freep.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Online anti-Palestinian accounts disguise a relentless and vicious campaign to intimidate people into silence by falsely portraying them as racists, and sanction them by proxy by pressuring employers for swift termination.
—Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Along with portraying Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones, Housman is also well known for his work in Dutch TV shows and films.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 23 Sep. 2025
Routh is expected to continue portraying himself as a peaceful man to counter the prosecution’s arguments.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 22 Sep. 2025
The scenes, set to an emotional melody, span over a year, portraying what the owner describes as a unique and moving journey of paternal care.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Jen Juneau, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Strong has finalized his deal to play Zuckerberg in The Social Reckoning, portraying an older version of the Meta CEO than viewers saw in the 2010 movie.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2025
Both women played Effie White, with Holliday portraying the role first on Broadway, earning her a Grammy and Tony.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Other recommendations include improving rates of chronic absenteeism, eliminating legacy debt for school districts, improving teacher pay, increasing teacher diversity, increasing opportunities for summer learning and eliminating mascots portraying Native Americans in an offensive way.
—Lily Altavena, Freep.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Online anti-Palestinian accounts disguise a relentless and vicious campaign to intimidate people into silence by falsely portraying them as racists, and sanction them by proxy by pressuring employers for swift termination.
—Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Along with portraying Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones, Housman is also well known for his work in Dutch TV shows and films.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 23 Sep. 2025
Routh is expected to continue portraying himself as a peaceful man to counter the prosecution’s arguments.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 22 Sep. 2025
The scenes, set to an emotional melody, span over a year, portraying what the owner describes as a unique and moving journey of paternal care.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portraying
Verb
-
Showrunner, Luke Matheny was on a similar wavelength when describing his thoughts about taking on the project.—
DeVonne Goode,
Parents,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Although her music is bright and confident, what McRae is describing is an inner world shaped by darkness.—
Rachel Brodsky,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Abarca says complaints overblown Abarca, at the time, welcomed the investigation, characterizing the complaints as overblown.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Following Kirk's killing, Jezebel removed the original article, issuing a statement characterizing it as humor and reiterating that the publication condoned neither physical harm nor political violence.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The publication, curated by researcher Maria Pirulli, sheds light on da Vinci’s contribution to the fashion, textile, beauty and luxury industries, depicting the artist as an ahead-of-his-time champion of Made in Italy and branding.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Jessica Guistolise, Megan Hurley and Molly Kelley talk with CNBC in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on July 11, 2025, about fake pornographic images and videos depicting their faces made by their mutual friend Ben using AI site DeepSwap.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Vought, who helped write the policy blueprint known as Project 2025, is playing a major role during the shutdown, including on decisions over whether there are mass layoffs of federal employees instead of furloughs and what funding is cut and what is allowed to flow.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
George Clooney is playing a movie star, and that was sort of built into the idea.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After years of representing the best and brightest from the worlds of entertainment, sports, music and culture, the WME Group executive chairman and TKO Group CEO is becoming talent himself, launching a new video podcast called Rushmore.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Sep. 2025
-
One lawyer representing patients who say they were harmed by the drug says his firm has gotten an influx of more than a thousand calls this week from potential new clients asking for information.—
Sydney Lupkin,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Just players performing the task at hand and being aware of certain situations.—
Nicki Jhabvala,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Musk has said Tesla will start selling its Optimus robots in 2026, and the company claims Optimus is already performing tasks in Tesla factories autonomously.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Created by Emmy Award winner Lena Waithe, The Chi premiered in 2018 and quickly became a defining work in contemporary television, weaving together the lives of Chicago residents in a unique way.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
1 Oct. 2025
-
There’s often a very clear defining line between the teams that have it and the teams that don’t.—
The Athletic NHL,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
However, the video also shows King Charles and Kate Middleton sitting down while the guests clapped, which people are interpreting as a snub.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The new puzzles are more complex than those from 2019, sometimes requiring the application of multiple rules, reasoning for multiple steps, or interpreting symbols.—
Matthew Hutson,
IEEE Spectrum,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Portraying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portraying. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share