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 linked to an article portraying the Quebec victory as a setback for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. — Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026

What readers are saying The comments express strong criticism of JD Vance, portraying him as lacking moral integrity and political acumen. — Dan Merica, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2026

His most iconic role came on television, however, portraying the title character’s loyal producer, fixer, and right-hand man, Artie, on The Larry Sanders Show, winning an Emmy and five additional nominations for the performance. — Kelly Martinez, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2026

Pratt flooded the internet with videos and pictures portraying a homelessness crisis that was out of control. — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026

Republican rival Rick Jackson has spent heavily portraying Bottoms’ Atlanta mayoralty as a failure, focusing on crime and 2020 protests — attacks some supporters say carry racial and gender overtones. — Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Wyle said portraying a Jewish character offered an opportunity to present a humanist and healer at a time of heightened antisemitism. — Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026

Meanwhile, there are AI safety researchers who fear that portraying such incidents as easily remedied security failures gives political cover to those who want AI development to proceed unchecked. — Harry Booth, Time, 20 Oct. 2026

The writer-producer set his Beauty and the Beast in a fantastical subway world beneath New York City, with Hamilton portraying an assistant district attorney and Perlman the mythic, noble man-beast. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026