1
as in describing
to give a representation or account of in words
the author portrays her characters with lifelike vividness
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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4
as in playing
to present a portrayal or performance of
gained fame portraying Susan B. Anthony in a one-woman show
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Recent Examples of portraying
Not all of it works, but Bale is essentially perfect, portraying both the innocence and the increasing alienation of his young hero.
—
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
Popular culture has long elevated certain women by portraying others as rivals, obstacles or villains.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
Hulu’s sequel series The Testaments, set 15 years after The Handmaid’s Tale, will premiere on April 8, 2026, with a cast anchored by Ann Dowd and a new generation of actors portraying young women raised inside Gilead.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Boyfriend on Demand, however, sticks to the beats of a rom-com and is not particularly interested in portraying the negative social consequences of a technology like this one.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
Concha criticized the media for portraying a divide within the Republican Party over Iran.
—Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 6 Mar. 2026
Jensen described Bridegan as controlling and money-obsessed, while portraying Gardner as a loving mother.
—Scott Butler, Florida Times-Union, 5 Mar. 2026
Hudson reflected on portraying Claire during a conversation with Entertainment Weekly's The Awardist in January.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026
Her casting, as a white woman portraying an Indigenous person, and the existence of the role itself, later drew scrutiny.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
Popular culture has long elevated certain women by portraying others as rivals, obstacles or villains.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
Hulu’s sequel series The Testaments, set 15 years after The Handmaid’s Tale, will premiere on April 8, 2026, with a cast anchored by Ann Dowd and a new generation of actors portraying young women raised inside Gilead.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Boyfriend on Demand, however, sticks to the beats of a rom-com and is not particularly interested in portraying the negative social consequences of a technology like this one.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
Concha criticized the media for portraying a divide within the Republican Party over Iran.
—Sydney Topf, The Washington Examiner, 6 Mar. 2026
Jensen described Bridegan as controlling and money-obsessed, while portraying Gardner as a loving mother.
—Scott Butler, Florida Times-Union, 5 Mar. 2026
Hudson reflected on portraying Claire during a conversation with Entertainment Weekly's The Awardist in January.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026
Her casting, as a white woman portraying an Indigenous person, and the existence of the role itself, later drew scrutiny.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portraying
Verb
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The incident, captured on video that has been circulating on social media, alarmed members of the local Jewish community, with some describing it as part of a rising number of antisemitic incidents in recent years.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
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Starting June 2026, subscribers will be able to search for content using natural language prompts – describing a mood, genre preference or specific type of story – rather than keyword queries.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Film actor Timothée Chalamet recently sparked controversy in the performing arts world by characterizing ballet and opera as dying art forms — not a novel sentiment, of course, but rather the latest foray into an ongoing debate.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
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Rout has spent decades characterizing yeast pore complexes.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Advertisement Vehicles move along a highway past a war memorial statue and a billboard depicting Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was killed in an air strike on February 28, with plumes of black smoke billowing, in Tehran on March 8, 2026.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
8 Mar. 2026
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Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company is likewise uncomfortably adept at depicting how navigating our immensely complicated, interconnected society can feel.—
Jake Pitre,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Fellow City Section member Sylmar (24-12) is playing San Marin (21-13) for the Division V title at noon.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Prior to the start of the current conflict, the IRGC was one of the most powerful organizations in the country, playing a dominant role in both internal domestic security and regional power projection.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But realistically, Rodriguez has a free ride to continue representing her northeast San Fernando Valley district.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Ellison abandoned his congressional seat representing the 5th District, most of Minneapolis, to run for attorney general.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The season is long enough with the first events taking place in early fall, and many choose to begin their offseason early after the stress of performing at the Winter Games.—
Mercury News staff,
Mercury News,
7 Mar. 2026
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Following layoffs of 4,000 in September and 10,000 in February, Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff asserted that AI is already performing 50% of all the work at the top CRM platform.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That balcony—one of the defining features of the style—faces west toward the nearby San Jacinto Mountains and runs the length of the upper level.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
11 Mar. 2026
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In the six years since their last non-collaborative album, a new wave of young bands influenced by their crisp and orderly form of shoegaze have made the once-dormant genre one of the defining sounds of this decade.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Iranian sailors are interpreting operational instructions, manuals and logs for their Sri Lankan counterparts.—
Bharatha Mallawarachi,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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The performances play as variations on a theme — musicians interpreting the same songbook standard in a different key.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portraying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portraying. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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