1
as in describing
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group
how would you characterize the mission of this environmental organization?
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in distinguishing
to be an important feature of
an unsightly rash characterizes chicken pox
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of characterizing
This study contributes to a growing body of research aimed at characterizing threats to the ocean’s apex predators.
—
Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 10 Sep. 2025
And, since Congress expects workers and employers to be (cough) creative when characterizing wages as tips to avoid paying taxes on otherwise taxable income, Treasury is authorized to issue additional guidance to prevent abuse.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
By contrast, Ka’iana and his family’s landing spot with Kamehameha’s base of power in Hawaii, as well as their foes, needed to be grounded in the land, while still doing the work of characterizing the different factions.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2025
Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 10 Sep. 2025
And, since Congress expects workers and employers to be (cough) creative when characterizing wages as tips to avoid paying taxes on otherwise taxable income, Treasury is authorized to issue additional guidance to prevent abuse.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
By contrast, Ka’iana and his family’s landing spot with Kamehameha’s base of power in Hawaii, as well as their foes, needed to be grounded in the land, while still doing the work of characterizing the different factions.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for characterizing
Verb
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People are describing empty markets, or markets where items are just cost-prohibitive and far too expensive.—
Kaity Kline,
NPR,
18 Sep. 2025
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At first, Walters feared the chicken might not survive—describing her as lethargic and depressed.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The distinguishing factor lies in offering complete confidence to buyers who expect more than just salesmanship.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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The odd one out is the shape with no distinguishing features.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Farrell is known for often portraying the ultimate villain on screen, having starred as Lord Percival Graves in the 2016 hit Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the Penguin in 2022's The Batman.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
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Katherine LaNasa won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for portraying the show’s ever-busy charge nurse, Dana Evans.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Taken together, these signals show that resilience is not a marginal concern but a defining lens for value creation.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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The West may think of his nation in terms of space-age technology and zeitgeist-defining cultural phenomena like KPop Demon Hunters, though in truth South Korea battles the lowest birth rate, top suicide rate, and highest youth unemployment of any developed nation.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Characterizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characterizing. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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