as in depictions
a vivid representation in words of someone or something
his novel presents a moving portrayal of a woman searching for personal fulfillment and happiness
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Recent Examples of portrayals
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
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
Despite their work, the frontier myth continues to influence popular histories and portrayals of the West in media, ranging from books to movies to video games.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The plays are characterized by their uncompromising portrayals of the Black experience and the playwright’s dexterity of language.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
The Bigger Picture for Comedians During both his podcast and stand-up appearances, Jonasi’s commentary extended beyond the translation itself into a broader critique of film portrayals of Africa.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2026
Laura’s willing absorption into Betty’s tranquil life of gardening and cooking is swift and pleasant — believably so thanks to the acute portrayals of Beer and Auer.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
To Neuvel and other critics, such portrayals romanticize euthanasia for mental illness, creating a risk of social contagion.
—Charles Lane, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
For Chen, beauty becomes a way of resisting reductive portrayals of communities defined by poverty.
—Lise Pedersen, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 Apr. 2026
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
Despite their work, the frontier myth continues to influence popular histories and portrayals of the West in media, ranging from books to movies to video games.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
The plays are characterized by their uncompromising portrayals of the Black experience and the playwright’s dexterity of language.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
The Bigger Picture for Comedians During both his podcast and stand-up appearances, Jonasi’s commentary extended beyond the translation itself into a broader critique of film portrayals of Africa.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2026
Laura’s willing absorption into Betty’s tranquil life of gardening and cooking is swift and pleasant — believably so thanks to the acute portrayals of Beer and Auer.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
To Neuvel and other critics, such portrayals romanticize euthanasia for mental illness, creating a risk of social contagion.
—Charles Lane, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2026
For Chen, beauty becomes a way of resisting reductive portrayals of communities defined by poverty.
—Lise Pedersen, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portrayals
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
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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
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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
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Elsewhere, Paula Rego’s two self portraits from 2017 show the artist howling through expressive pastel strokes.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Portrayals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portrayals. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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