1
as in to describe
to give a representation or account of in words
the author portrays her characters with lifelike vividness
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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
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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
Weisz portrays said professor, and Woodall is her new colleague.
—
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2026
As wonderfully portrayed by Buric, the Wonder Man reboot’s director is every European artiste absorbed into the American studio system cut with a dose of Werner Herzog’s gloom; his mansion could be a museum of Hollywood Regency decadence.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
Actor Titus Welliver, who has portrayed Connelly’s iconic detective Harry Bosch since 2014, presented the award.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
Despite how it is often portrayed, MAHA is not a fringe movement.
—Tom W. Johnson, STAT, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for portray
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2026
As wonderfully portrayed by Buric, the Wonder Man reboot’s director is every European artiste absorbed into the American studio system cut with a dose of Werner Herzog’s gloom; his mansion could be a museum of Hollywood Regency decadence.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
Actor Titus Welliver, who has portrayed Connelly’s iconic detective Harry Bosch since 2014, presented the award.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
Despite how it is often portrayed, MAHA is not a fringe movement.
—Tom W. Johnson, STAT, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for portray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portray
Verb
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After he was arrested in August 2023, Wei was asked by FBI investigators to describe his actions involving the Chinese intelligence agent.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
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Words can't describe how much he's done for me and all the other players.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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To him, 1000 Corporate Drive was no call center; that term would better characterize his previous dump in Hollywood, Florida.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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The move was characterized as a typical political conflict; however, the revelations from these whistleblowers raise questions about whether there could have also been a motive to keep wrongdoing concealed.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In May 2025, Fadich posted a graphic on Instagram depicting a gun pointed directly at Mace’s face.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Unfortunately, at least as depicted in Part 1, Sophie and Benedict’s romance lacks the tantalizing heat and erotic chemistry of the show’s previous central couples.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The administration is playing a blame game over the initial characterization of Pretti, Axios reports.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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Dak already has shot past the championship game deadline in that no other quarterback has ever begun his career with a team and played 10 seasons without reaching the NFC or AFC title game, then reached a Super Bowl with that team later in his career.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That’s it; those options represent the full suite of possibilities that are consistent with dark matter.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
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That’s about in-line with the Street estimate of 37% but represents another down tick from 38% in the reported quarter.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The shipyard team will also perform underwater hull preservation work, upgrade onboard ship systems, and refurbish the living spaces for the ship’s 41 crewmembers.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Jan. 2026
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The Recording Academy on Tuesday announced that two-time Grammy winner Sabrina Carpenter will perform on awards night.—
Malia Mendez,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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It cannot even be interpreted like that.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Understanding Latin America is not merely a requirement for interpreting headlines about Venezuela but a prerequisite for Americans to understand themselves and their place in the world.—
Ana L. Ros,
The Conversation,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Coming from both the Sun and also omnidirectionally from elsewhere across the Universe, these cosmic rays all behaved the same way normal particles do on Earth, except were at significantly greater energies.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Some of Thursday’s decline was related to Wall Street not being happy with how much the company was spending on investments for the future (capital expenditures), and the cloud business Azure may not have done as well as some hoped.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Portray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portray. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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