1
as in to describe
to give a representation or account of in words
the author portrays her characters with lifelike vividness
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to characterize
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 to depict
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 to play
to present a portrayal or performance of
gained fame portraying Susan B. Anthony in a one-woman show
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of portray
Foreign observers, Liu argues, tend to portray Chinese people as either the enablers or the victims of their government’s excesses.
—
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Each transaction carries a trace of the rules applied, which Mercans portrays as crucial for auditability and corporate governance in multinational environments.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Madden portrays Secretary of Defense Webb Preston, who has a technology background that sets him apart from most politicians.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2026
Who would portray Rocky, a fan favorite of readers, was a source of speculation online.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for portray
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Each transaction carries a trace of the rules applied, which Mercans portrays as crucial for auditability and corporate governance in multinational environments.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Madden portrays Secretary of Defense Webb Preston, who has a technology background that sets him apart from most politicians.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2026
Who would portray Rocky, a fan favorite of readers, was a source of speculation online.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for portray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portray
Verb
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While Indonesia is often described as one of Australia's most important neighbors, the relationship has seen periodic strains.—
NINIEK KARMINI,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
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One other suspect – described as an accomplice – was also detained, the Committee said.—
CNN's Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Kam and O'Shea exceeded all expectations with a performance characterized by spectacular lifts and fierce musicality.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
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Lots of Gray Tones Morris is eager to move past all of the gray tones that have characterized homes in recent years.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The incident occurred just hours before dozens of flyers depicting former Prince Andrew were briefly scattered around the village of Dedham ahead of the royal visit, The Times reported.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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Our family photographs depicted us in beauty, power and wholeness, rejecting every image that attempted to relegate us to a stereotype.—
Anya Sesay,
jsonline.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Before playing in the last four games, Reaves had missed the previous 19 with his calf injury.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Maldonado invited Jaquez to play, and after losing, Jaquez bought Maldonado drinks and returned to his friend group, according to the affidavit.—
Elissa Jorgensen,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The project represents more than $10 billion in spending on data center infrastructure and related community development.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
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The restaurateur envisioned a boilerplate abuelita’s house, which could represent Bad Bunny’s, or his, or anyone’s.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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By controlling edge recombination through passivation, these wafers can maintain strong carrier collection and high efficiency, translating their theoretical advantages into practical, high-performing solar cells.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
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During dinner, musician Malcolm McRae — who’s featured in Simkhai’s campaign imagery, and is also Anya Taylor-Joy’s husband — performed a song for the crowd, while Mia Moretti stepped up for DJ duty.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Instead, judge arguments based on the merits of the underlying facts, and how experts scrupulously interpret those facts.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
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Toxicologist Alex LeBeau urged caution when interpreting the results.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The southern Portuguese city of Alcacer do Sal, about 60 miles from Lisbon, was battling rising waters from the river Sado, with downtown areas flooded and water levels measuring roughly 7 feet high in some places.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
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For people that are not tracking what that actually means, that means that ICE can do almost no arrests in the entire country … If a court rules that there’s a final order of removal, they’re removed actually by an administrative warrant, not a judicial warrant.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portray. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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