Thesaurus results for PORTRAYAL

portrayal

noun

pȯr-ˈtrā(-ə)l

Definition of portrayal

as in depiction

a vivid representation in words of someone or something his novel presents a moving portrayal of a woman searching for personal fulfillment and happiness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of portrayal The novel was sharply observed, balancing mid-life regret with an unromanticized portrayal of enduring mental illness. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 His vocal portrayal of Captain Hook in Peter Pan and the Pirates (1991) won him a daytime Emmy. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026 His portrayal of Pennywise horrified a generation of children—without relying heavily on special effects or prosthetics. — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 26 Aug. 2026 Continue reading … AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ – Test yourself on presidential portrayals and summer sips. — FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for portrayal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for portrayal

Noun

On one wall, the ambassador installed Marc Lipp’s Fight Fight Fight, a depiction of Trump with a bloody ear and raised fist painted by one of the president’s favorite Palm Beach watercolorists.

— Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
In her depiction of the exhausting vigilance this reality required, through a second-person voice cannily implicating her reader, Rankine created a new language to identify a problem as old as the United States.

— Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of depiction

Noun

On the page, Hig’s first-person descriptions of his everyday adventures, and of the waning natural world around him, had an honest, melancholy soul to them.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
She was stunned how closely autism’s description fit her creative, sensitive girl — her strong need for routine, social anxiety, challenges with communication and sensory processing.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of description

Noun

Other works set to screen at the BFI include several of Maldoror’s non-fiction films, like Aimé Césaire, A Man, A Land, a documentary portrait of the Martinican author Aimé Césaire.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
The story begins as a richly detailed portrait of a woman who quietly accepts her role as the wife of a man who doesn’t recognize her value.

— Ed Masley, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of portrait

Browse Nearby Words

portray

portrayal

portrayals

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Portrayal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portrayal. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of portrayal

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes