delineated

[dih-lin-ee-ey-tid]

adjective

1. precisely traced or outlined.

   The crisply delineated form of the arch stands out against the soft clouds of steam that rise from the courtyard.

2. precisely defined or explained.

   The Shire ends at clearly delineated boundaries.

   Checklists are used to promote the recording and verification of delineated steps in tasks that, if improperly completed, could result in dangerous or damaging outcomes.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of delineate.

Other Word Forms

• undelineated adjective
• well-delineated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of delineated¹

delineate ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Perhaps it’s because there hasn’t been such a brazenly political superhero film since “The Dark Knight” brilliantly delineated and predicted how our anxieties about international terror were dividing the country faster than we could imagine.

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In a lengthy preamble, the order delineated that early history through the shuttering of veterans’ housing in the 1970s to improper leases of veterans’ land that led to the two lawsuits.

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Anyone that investigates this will find that the risks and benefits are already delineated.

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It’s telling that he conceived of his scenes in clearly delineated horizontal bars that give sky, earth and the Danube River an unshakable, marble-like solidity.

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One dives deep into the strained but anatomically accurate neck muscles and sharply delineated collar bones of St. Jerome, shown praying in the bleak wilderness.

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Related Words

• descriptive 
• illustrated 
• photographic 
• visual 
• vivid