1
as in describes
to give a representation or account of in words
the author portrays her characters with lifelike vividness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in characterizes
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 depicts
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 plays
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 portrays
So the scientific jury is out on how Hoppers portrays consciousness as transferrable.
—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 8 Mar. 2026
The exterior of the Freedom Express portrays 10 key moments in American history from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the Apollo 11 moon landing.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2026
Putin’s Kiss — that portrays her as Kremlin youth icon turned aspiring Western liberal who came to publicly disavow the Russian president.
—Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Love Story hair designer Barry Lee Moe went to extreme lengths to get the texture and color just right for actress Sarah Pidgeon, who portrays Bessette in the limited series.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 5 Mar. 2026
Jacobs portrays Jerri Dougan, sister to Gerry (Colton Ryan).
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
Any depiction of gay and transgender people that portrays them in a positive or even neutral light has been banned ever since.
—ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
The actor, who portrays surly Russian hockey captain Ilya Rozanov in the show, is in no way, shape or form Russian, and learned to speak the language rather flawlessly in just three weeks before filming.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 28 Feb. 2026
One quilt block portrays a baby on the brink of being eaten by an alligator.
—Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 8 Mar. 2026
The exterior of the Freedom Express portrays 10 key moments in American history from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the Apollo 11 moon landing.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2026
Putin’s Kiss — that portrays her as Kremlin youth icon turned aspiring Western liberal who came to publicly disavow the Russian president.
—Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Love Story hair designer Barry Lee Moe went to extreme lengths to get the texture and color just right for actress Sarah Pidgeon, who portrays Bessette in the limited series.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 5 Mar. 2026
Jacobs portrays Jerri Dougan, sister to Gerry (Colton Ryan).
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
Any depiction of gay and transgender people that portrays them in a positive or even neutral light has been banned ever since.
—ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
The actor, who portrays surly Russian hockey captain Ilya Rozanov in the show, is in no way, shape or form Russian, and learned to speak the language rather flawlessly in just three weeks before filming.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 28 Feb. 2026
One quilt block portrays a baby on the brink of being eaten by an alligator.
—Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portrays
Verb
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Gourd-Mercado describes it as an exploration of the future of storytelling for Palestinian filmmakers — those based in Gaza, those in the diaspora, those born elsewhere but shaped by their identity.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
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Breakout voice skips the commentary Parnas, who describes himself as an independent reporter, had a breakout year in 2025.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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From the Cold War to the hostage crisis, Matin-Asgari characterizes the countries’ long relationship as a matrix of intrigue and influence.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The tech entrepreneur, who founded a fitness app and a financial management platform catering to young and wealthy customers, also characterizes Khanna’s stock trading as hypocritical since the congressman campaigns on easing inequality.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Period Pieces That Get the Details Right Pam & Tommy came out on Hulu in 2022 and depicts another popular ’90s romance — the tumultuous relationship between Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, portrayed by Lily James and Sebastian Stan.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
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The show depicts the couple briefly breaking up over the letter before reconciling.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Stellan Skarsgård plays an aging filmmaker whose selfish past led to an estrangement from his daughters and who wants to make a movie inspired by their mom.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Myers’ maternal half-brother is Quentin Grimes, who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers and spent part of the 2024-25 season with the Mavericks.—
Lia Assimakopoulos,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
More accurately, Earth’s axis of rotation performs a wobbling motion like a spinning top, a phenomenon known as precession.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Already, in head-to-head diagnostic comparisons, generative AI performs at levels comparable to human clinicians.—
Robert Pearl,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Congress writes laws, but federal agencies like the EPA write the regulations that explain how the federal government interprets and enforces those laws.—
Sean Tucker,
AJC.com,
27 Feb. 2026
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Awabi interprets and expresses algae colors according to her ancestors’ hermetic aesthetics.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Because of these advantages, amorphous metals have previously been used in specialized electrical components such as transformers, but applying them to automotive traction motors represents a more recent advancement.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
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Journalists laid off by Lake say the ruling vindicates them and represents an important step toward restoring the news organization.—
DAVID BAUDER,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portrays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portrays. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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