1
as in describing
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 characterizing
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 depicting
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 playing
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 portraying
Trump has publicly commented on Paramount along the way, sometimes portraying the Ellisons as his friends and specifically expressing interest in the family taking over CNN.
—
Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
Valadao’s backers have already started to emphasize his moderate views while portraying Villegas’ progressive politics as out-of-step with many district voters.
—Mathew Miranda
june 12, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026
The stories focused on portraying her as a calculating social climber who only pursued the president’s oldest son to gain access to his wealth, power and celebrity, the Daily Mail also said.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
He was also widely known to younger audiences for portraying Sam McGuire, the father of Hilary Duff’s title character, on Lizzie McGuire and The Lizzie McGuire Movie.
—Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
Both the Blue Jackets and Jenner issued statements on social media saying that Bissonnette was unfairly portraying the interaction.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 11 June 2026
He's played by Jamie Hector, best known for portraying Jerry Edgar on Bosch and gangster Marlo Stanfield on The Wire.
—Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026
Mendes is best known for portraying Veronica Lodge on Riverdale, which was based on the Archie Comics and lasted for seven seasons on The CW between 2017 and 2023.
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 5 June 2026
What did that film teach you about the challenge of portraying political differences without turning people into caricatures?
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
Valadao’s backers have already started to emphasize his moderate views while portraying Villegas’ progressive politics as out-of-step with many district voters.
—Mathew Miranda
june 12, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026
The stories focused on portraying her as a calculating social climber who only pursued the president’s oldest son to gain access to his wealth, power and celebrity, the Daily Mail also said.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
He was also widely known to younger audiences for portraying Sam McGuire, the father of Hilary Duff’s title character, on Lizzie McGuire and The Lizzie McGuire Movie.
—Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
Both the Blue Jackets and Jenner issued statements on social media saying that Bissonnette was unfairly portraying the interaction.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 11 June 2026
He's played by Jamie Hector, best known for portraying Jerry Edgar on Bosch and gangster Marlo Stanfield on The Wire.
—Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026
Mendes is best known for portraying Veronica Lodge on Riverdale, which was based on the Archie Comics and lasted for seven seasons on The CW between 2017 and 2023.
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 5 June 2026
What did that film teach you about the challenge of portraying political differences without turning people into caricatures?
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portraying
Verb
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In a professional biography posted on Canvas last updated in 2022, Davis demonstrated his passion for areospace studies and flight training, describing his extensive education and flight experience.—
Reeti Malhotra,
Sacbee.com,
18 June 2026
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The preservation coalition have compared the sculpture garden to Trump’s White House ballroom and triumphal arch projects, describing them as costly and frequent targets of litigation.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Supporters of the high-earner tax for public education have been quick to stress it’s been in place for more than a decade, characterizing any rollback of it as a tax cut for the wealthy.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
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So much of The Last Supper involved characterizing songs, movies, music videos, paintings, and so on.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Even so, some animal rights activists credit viral social media posts depicting animal abuse as focusing public attention on the issue.—
Sandra McDonald,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
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As the Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies squared off in a series earlier this week, news surfaced that the latter’s Double-A affiliate will be honoring Yesavage, who is from Boyertown, Pennsylvania, with a bobblehead depicting him in his high school jersey next month.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Dallas Stadium’s long-term grass future Once engineers figured out that drainage was a major problem in sustaining quality grass indoors, putting down a playing surface for a football, futbol or a soccer game wasn’t that hard.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
-
Even playing in the large San Francisco market and increasing payroll from $175 million in 2024 to $210 million in 2026.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The margin for the second advancer representing downtown, Land Park, Tahoe Park and the Florin area of south Sacramento remained too close to call.—
Reeti Malhotra,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2026
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The aircraft was to be a love child of French manufacturer Dassault Aviation and European aerospace group Airbus, representing Germany.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Verb
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The exponential return on our positively performing company outweighs the losers.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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Pop stars Katy Perry and Tius Luka helped kick off the festivities, performing during the tournament’s opening ceremony before the United States faced Paraguay.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Both came to the Nats in the aforementioned — and franchise-defining — trade away of Soto in 2022.—
Barry Svrluga,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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Digital sovereignty is quickly becoming a defining pursuit for countries trying to build strategic autonomy.—
Aidan Gomez,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
Verb
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In an email to ARTnews, Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz cautioned against interpreting shrinking sales in the ultra-contemporary category as a sign that collectors have lost interest.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
15 June 2026
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This inspired a lot of lawsuits that have winded their ways through the court system and the Supreme Court is adjudicating one of those lawsuits right now, basically interpreting the Constitution.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portraying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portraying. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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