1
as in described
to give a representation or account of in words
the author portrays her characters with lifelike vividness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in characterized
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 depicted
to present a picture of
a landscape that portrays the scenery near the town where the painter grew up
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in played
to present a portrayal or performance of
gained fame portraying Susan B. Anthony in a one-woman show
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of portrayed
In vacating the life prison term in 2024, Cook County Judge Marc Martin found in part that Modrowski had been unfairly portrayed as emotionless and cold during his 1995 trial and sentencing proceedings when the characteristics were likely due to his autism.
—
Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
North Carolina legislators accurately portrayed a gap between how many people Immigration and Customs Enforcement picked up from Mecklenburg and Wake County jails through much of 2025.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
Michiel Huisman, Elizabeth Reaser, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel and Pedretti portrayed the siblings in adulthood.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
The star portrayed lead, Mox, a second-string quarterback called up after the team's starting QB (Paul Walker) is injured.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 12 Feb. 2026
Fennell knew the film hinged on the casting of Cathy and Heathcliff, two iconic literary characters who have been portrayed by a multitude of actors over the years, including Laurence Olivier, Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
This year’s selections focused on characters as a core driver of IP competitiveness, recognizing the actors who portrayed beloved characters alongside the directors, producers and writers who brought them to life.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
Catherine O’Hara portrayed ridiculous eccentrics with equal parts hilarity and humanity.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Feb. 2026
Amodei, known for writing lengthy essays about AI’s nature and direction, has portrayed Anthropic as being the AI company focused on safety.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
North Carolina legislators accurately portrayed a gap between how many people Immigration and Customs Enforcement picked up from Mecklenburg and Wake County jails through much of 2025.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
Michiel Huisman, Elizabeth Reaser, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel and Pedretti portrayed the siblings in adulthood.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
The star portrayed lead, Mox, a second-string quarterback called up after the team's starting QB (Paul Walker) is injured.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 12 Feb. 2026
Fennell knew the film hinged on the casting of Cathy and Heathcliff, two iconic literary characters who have been portrayed by a multitude of actors over the years, including Laurence Olivier, Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
This year’s selections focused on characters as a core driver of IP competitiveness, recognizing the actors who portrayed beloved characters alongside the directors, producers and writers who brought them to life.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
Catherine O’Hara portrayed ridiculous eccentrics with equal parts hilarity and humanity.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Feb. 2026
Amodei, known for writing lengthy essays about AI’s nature and direction, has portrayed Anthropic as being the AI company focused on safety.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portrayed
Verb
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As Doak described it, the department did not receive many complaints.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Mattarella described Coventry as Mattarella’s daughter.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
10 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
-
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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During a recent appearance on Brian Tyler Cohen’s podcast, Barack Obama gave his reaction after an AI video was posted to Donald Trump‘s Truth Social account that depicted the former president and his first lady, Michelle, as apes.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
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The result is a war that mostly remains unseen, at times evoking the way Jonathan Glazer depicted Auschwitz in The Zone of Interest.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Every one of the NFL’s 32 teams has played a regular-season game outside the United States and is signed up to the league’s Global Markets Program.—
Tom Chitty,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
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Savolainen played a huge role in Finland’s historic run in the 2019 hockey women’s world championship, in which the country made it to the final against the United States who, along with Canada, had previously dominated the competition and its gold medal matches.—
Hannah Ryan,
CNN Money,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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These participants also performed better on tests of overall cognitive function, the report noted.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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The entire hardware assembly was completed during the day, with AI training performed overnight.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Finally, no credible evidence demonstrates the kind of unambiguous, exclusive genocidal intent toward Palestinians that international law requires and that cannot be reasonably interpreted otherwise.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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As a judge, my responsibility is not to evaluate whether legislation is good or bad policy, but to apply the law as enacted by the General Assembly and interpreted by appellate courts.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portrayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portrayed. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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