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
Relevance
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
Its president, Wolfson, is blunt in characterizing the settlements.
—
Bill Chappell, NPR, 29 Jan. 2026
The Conservatives, currently led by Kemi Badenoch, slammed Braverman following her defection, characterizing her as an inevitable turncoat and questioning her mental faculties.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 26 Jan. 2026
Federal prosecutors reportedly investigated federal contractors that consider diversity, characterizing such initiatives as fraud.
—Spencer Overton, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
Several former heads of the central bank have come out against the move, characterizing it as an attempt to undermine the independence of the Federal Reserve, which is authorized by Congress to set monetary policy independent of the President's wishes.
—Time, 14 Jan. 2026
The vice president, who raised his voice at times while speaking, passionately defended the ICE agent — who has since been identified as Jonathan Ross — while characterizing Good as a radical activist.
—Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
In a statement posted to Instagram, SAG-AFTRA, one of the largest entertainment unions, blasted its creation, characterizing it as an affront to the work of human performers.
—David Oliver, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
People are characterizing them and not listening to them.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Pirro pushed back and went on to reiterate the Administration’s support for the deployments, characterizing the city as besieged by violent crime.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
Bill Chappell, NPR, 29 Jan. 2026
The Conservatives, currently led by Kemi Badenoch, slammed Braverman following her defection, characterizing her as an inevitable turncoat and questioning her mental faculties.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 26 Jan. 2026
Federal prosecutors reportedly investigated federal contractors that consider diversity, characterizing such initiatives as fraud.
—Spencer Overton, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
Several former heads of the central bank have come out against the move, characterizing it as an attempt to undermine the independence of the Federal Reserve, which is authorized by Congress to set monetary policy independent of the President's wishes.
—Time, 14 Jan. 2026
The vice president, who raised his voice at times while speaking, passionately defended the ICE agent — who has since been identified as Jonathan Ross — while characterizing Good as a radical activist.
—Greta Bjornson, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
In a statement posted to Instagram, SAG-AFTRA, one of the largest entertainment unions, blasted its creation, characterizing it as an affront to the work of human performers.
—David Oliver, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
People are characterizing them and not listening to them.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Pirro pushed back and went on to reiterate the Administration’s support for the deployments, characterizing the city as besieged by violent crime.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for characterizing
Verb
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Austin, 13, can be heard calmly describing the situation and asking for a helicopter to search for his mother and two siblings in a recording released by the Western Australia Police Force on Wednesday.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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The other agents in the car continued to lie when describing the circumstances of the shooting to the FBI, including in a diagram that purported to show three cars in front of the agents’ Tahoe blocking them from moving forward.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Protective planning as a long-term discipline Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of future-proof asset protection is timing.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Season 2 explores where this chaos comes from, and the difficulty in distinguishing the sheriff from the outlaw.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jacobus started his career in finance in the early 1990s, but that quickly spiraled into him falsely portraying himself as a seasoned financial advisor who managed legitimate investment portfolios, authorities said.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
7 Feb. 2026
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Hollywood did end up telling that story, with Ben Foster ultimately portraying the actor as a villain in the 2015 movie The Program, which Armstrong was not a part of.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Period hairstyles also play a significant role in defining the characters of Elvira and Agnes, aka Cinderella, played by Thea Sofie Loch Naess.—
Simon Thompson,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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And isn’t that about to become the defining ingredient of all future Hall of Fame voting, sooner than later?—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Characterizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characterizing. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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