as in descriptions
a vivid representation in words of someone or something
his account created in the jurors' heads a detailed portrait of a lonely old man
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Recent Examples of portraits
Outside of City Hall on Thursday morning, a black van with a mobile billboard displayed portraits of Metayer Bowen and bouquets of flowers were left on the walkway outside the building.
—
Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Elsewhere, Paula Rego’s two self portraits from 2017 show the artist howling through expressive pastel strokes.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Classicolor is a general-purpose color-negative 35-mm film (ISO 200), ideal for daily use, portraits or capturing travel experiences.
—New Atlas, 1 Apr. 2026
The tradition of supers becoming supersized as sculptures, portraits, and paintings is long and storied.
—Irene Kim, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2026
Masses of pro-government supporters gathered in Tehran last night, holding flags and portraits of Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
—Rebecca Shabad, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
Indian portraits, too, were typically studio-based, meaning that individuals were literally removed from any landscape.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 24 Mar. 2026
The Art World of the 1980s (1988), and the comprehensive six-volume set The Lives of Artists (2019), all of which collect his New Yorker portraits.
—News Desk, Artforum, 22 Mar. 2026
Golden hour provides the perfect lighting for those dreamy bluebonnet portraits.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Elsewhere, Paula Rego’s two self portraits from 2017 show the artist howling through expressive pastel strokes.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Classicolor is a general-purpose color-negative 35-mm film (ISO 200), ideal for daily use, portraits or capturing travel experiences.
—New Atlas, 1 Apr. 2026
The tradition of supers becoming supersized as sculptures, portraits, and paintings is long and storied.
—Irene Kim, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2026
Masses of pro-government supporters gathered in Tehran last night, holding flags and portraits of Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
—Rebecca Shabad, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
Indian portraits, too, were typically studio-based, meaning that individuals were literally removed from any landscape.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 24 Mar. 2026
The Art World of the 1980s (1988), and the comprehensive six-volume set The Lives of Artists (2019), all of which collect his New Yorker portraits.
—News Desk, Artforum, 22 Mar. 2026
Golden hour provides the perfect lighting for those dreamy bluebonnet portraits.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portraits
Noun
-
Culin also consulted with other scholars and collectors to produce his final report 14 years later, which includes over 1,100 illustrations and descriptions of 239 sets of dice from 130 different tribes.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 Apr. 2026
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The dark side featured the rise of Hitler, descriptions of Kristallnacht — when Nazi youth ransacked Jewish homes and stores in 1938 — and Nazi plans for the Final Solution, or genocide of all European Jews.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Two television cameras looking down from an altitude of about 450 miles made initial pictures of earthly cloud patterns on the satellite’s second orbitable trip.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
After walking into her personal office to find Gordon redecorating the room with pictures of herself, Gomez sits down to review her assistant's to-do list for the day.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Currently, creating those graphic depictions of children is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Humor about the pickle often stems from its distinctiveness—its tangy, assertive flavor and odd appearance lend themselves to exaggerated, whimsical depictions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Conversations between people and land are as alive as human dialogue in these earnest portrayals of gathering and return.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
1 Apr. 2026
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Surrounding Fox’s keen central performance are a number of skilled and sensitive portrayals, in particular Swoosie Kurtz, as a lonely co-worker who is genuinely concerned about her young cohort’s well-being.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Whale lusts after a hunky gardener (Brendan Fraser) and persuades him to pose for a few sketches; Julian, though bisexual, expresses no such interest in Lori, and any art-making turns out to be a gratifyingly mutual endeavor.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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Fast cuts, wild sketches, punchlines flying like confetti.—
Jeremy Helligar,
PEOPLE,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portraits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portraits. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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