portrayal
AmericanOther Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of portrayal
Explanation
If you like the way an actor played the role of Abraham Lincoln, you might praise his portrayal of the sixteenth president. Use the noun portrayal to describe the representation of someone, either in the form of a dramatic character, a spoken description, or even a photograph or painting of the person. You can also talk about the portrayal of an object or idea: "Dorothea Lange's photographs are an accurate portrayal of the Great Depression." The Old French word portraire, "to draw or trace," is the root of portrayal.
Vocabulary lists containing portrayal
Academy Awards, List 6
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Between Shades of Gray
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The Unmapped Sea
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But in the way it’s made, “You Can See Everything” is the best portrayal I’ve seen of my subjective experience of autism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
He owned his portrayal of Gurney Halleck in “Dune” so completely that nobody blinked when he dashed into a battle scene bellowing mightily while clutching a pug, of all things.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
Sir Patrick would later be celebrated for his portrayal of Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film franchise.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Euripides’ portrayal of Medea as a child-killing figure of fury has obscured the nuances of a more complicated mythological story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Once we have posed the problem of this “artisan’s” portrayal, we feel compelled to investigate it further.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
"The more portrayals that we see on TV, that's going to inspire more disabled people to think it's a career for them," he says.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Adds Miyashita: "These puzzles beckon our curiosity. After all, spiral forms in nature have inspired human creations ranging from rotini pasta, to a barber's pole or even portrayals of the biblical 'Tower of Babel'."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
Notably, the show didn’t hook viewers with sex or other salacious material but, rather, plausible portrayals of greed and motivating vindictiveness.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Inspired by Hans Holbein, this portrait of the English novelist and his artist partner was one of the first celebratory portrayals of a gay couple.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
Fortunately, today’s scientists, historians, and art collectors have rediscovered and acknowledged her work for what it is: amazingly beautiful, accurate portrayals of insect metamorphoses and ecosystems.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
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