portrait

American  

[pawr-trit, -treyt, pohr-] / ˈpɔr trɪt, -treɪt, ˈpoʊr- /

noun

1. a likeness of a person, especially of the face, as a painting, drawing, or photograph.

   a gallery of family portraits.

2. a verbal picture or description, usually of a person.

   a biography that provides a fascinating portrait of an 18th-century rogue.

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adjective

1. Digital Technology. relating to or producing vertical, upright orientation of computer or other digital output, with lines of data parallel to the two shorter sides of a page or screen. Compare landscape.

portrait British  

/ -treɪt, ˈpɔːtrɪt /

noun

1. 1. a painting, drawing, sculpture, photograph, or other likeness of an individual, esp of the face

   2. ( as modifier )

      a portrait gallery

2. a verbal description or picture, esp of a person's character

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adjective

1. printing (of a publication or an illustration in a publication) of greater height than width Compare landscape

Other Word Forms

• portraitlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of portrait

1560–70; < Middle French: a drawing, image, etc., noun use of past participle of portraire to portray

Explanation

A portrait is a portrayal of a person, usually showing the person's face (but not always). A portrait can be a painting, a photograph, an ink drawing, a sculpture — or even a description in words or in a film. Portrait is a term often used when talking about artwork. Go to an art museum, especially one that has a historic collection, and you'll likely see many portraits hanging on the walls. Formal portraits were commissioned by wealthy people throughout history. A portrait can also be a written description of someone's appearance or character. If you describe your Mom in such detail that everyone can imagine what she's like, you've created a portrait of her.

Example Sentences

In 2014, Offill’s novel “Dept. of Speculation” was published and became lauded for its fragmentary style, often unwieldy single sentences that offered a complicated portrait of marriage.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

By simply telling us that compassion is possible without depicting the subtleties of human growth, “I Swear” functions more like an educational drama than a portrait of how to make real-life change.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026

"It's closer to commissioning a portrait or a memoir than anything else."

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

While “The Long Run’s” subtitle suggests a portrait of “The Decade That Made the Marathon Cool,” that decade—the 1970s—is prefaced by more than 100 pages of history.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

She missed being able to see the portrait of Agatha Swanburne that hung on the wall behind Miss Mortimer’s desk.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• account
• characterization
• depiction
• figure
• image
• likeness
• model
• painting
• photograph
• picture
• portrayal
• profile
• silhouette
• sketch
• snapshot
• vignette