as in portrait
a vivid representation in words of someone or something
the author's meticulous portraiture of a small Midwestern town at the turn of the century
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Recent Examples of portraiture
The disjunction between the abstract composition and the notion of self-portraiture appeared perplexing in its own right; its inoperability only exacerbated the viewer’s frustration and redoubled the artist’s impish provocation.
—
Ara H. Merjian, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
What’s interesting about this bit of dialogue — and about this purposefully meta portraiture as a whole — is not who’s saying the line, but who’s playing who’s saying the line.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025
Virtually unknown today, Wautier painted across genres, including portraiture, still life, and even historical scenes, which usually required the study of live models, a practice women were banned from.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Her practice spans portraiture, fashion, and intimate visual storytelling.
—Photovogue, Vogue, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portraiture
Ara H. Merjian, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
What’s interesting about this bit of dialogue — and about this purposefully meta portraiture as a whole — is not who’s saying the line, but who’s playing who’s saying the line.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025
Virtually unknown today, Wautier painted across genres, including portraiture, still life, and even historical scenes, which usually required the study of live models, a practice women were banned from.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Her practice spans portraiture, fashion, and intimate visual storytelling.
—Photovogue, Vogue, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for portraiture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portraiture
Noun
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Written like a field research journal, Emily Wilde is a clever and charming portrait of a scientist on a journey toward discovery, hard at work in the field and stumbling toward love, all at the same time.—
Brianne Kane,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
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The finale, which focuses on a single subject (obsessed with and thus defensive of his own public nudity), comes closest to escaping a steady stream of antagonization and painting a nuanced portrait of what’s keeping a range of Americans from finding community.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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From the video, investigators got a clear vehicle description, including a license plate number.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
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What is the description of the suspect?—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Jennifer Hudson, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Effie White in Bill Condon’s 2006 film adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls, is joining the producing team of the stage revival heading to Broadway this fall.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
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The portrayal has been widely denounced as racist, with some Republican lawmakers also slamming the video.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Frederick Wiseman, the pioneering documentary filmmaker whose penetrating, observational depictions of public institutions raised ethical issues and provoked social examination, has died.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
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Siqueira said her most meaningful tattoo is a depiction of a phoenix.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portraiture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portraiture. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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