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

Athena Bitzis, now 54, of Stone Mountain, performed in the opening ceremony, portraying one of the muses in a segment honoring the ancient origins of the Olympic movement. — Andrea Clement, AJC.com, 17 July 2026

The three have pushed legislation to restrict PAC donations or gifts to Supreme Court justices, portraying it as an effort to rein in elites. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 16 July 2026

The same year Seinfeld ended, Jerry landed another role as a father in a sitcom, portraying Arthur Spooner on the hit The King of Queens, which ran from 1998 to 2007. — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026

Judge Ranjan identified several problems with MET’s claims, including MET’s allegation that UA engaged in false advertising by portraying Celliant as having the FDA’s blessing. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 July 2026

Yes, Ippolito has become Hollywood’s go-to for portraying young, Italian, breakout movie stars in ’70s films. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026

Rossum continued portraying street-wise Chicago South Sider, Fiona Gallagher, through Season 9 before exiting the series. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 8 July 2026

The rebooted Netflix show addresses criticisms of Wilder’s work by giving diverse characters a larger role, a decision that prompted some to argue that the series would misrepresent the original books by portraying modern, progressive sensibilities. — Emily Staunton, Christian Science Monitor, 8 July 2026

This episode does a really great job at portraying Rhaenyra’s slip toward madness or, if not madness per se, then a much more unhinged version of her former self. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026