characterization

[kar-ik-ter-uh-zey-shuhn, -truh-zey-]

noun

1. portrayal; description.

   the actor's characterization of a politician.

   Synonyms: delineation, depiction, representation

2. the act of characterizing or describing the individual quality of a person or thing.

3. the creation and convincing representation of fictitious characters, as in a literary work.

characterization

/ ˌkærɪktəraɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

1. description of character, traits, etc

2. the act of characterizing

Other Word Forms

• recharacterization noun
• self-characterization noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of characterization¹

1560–70; < Medieval Latin charactērizāt ( us ) marked (past participle of charactērizāre to characterize; -ate ¹ ) + Latin -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

A representative for the company said: “We don’t agree with Maersk’s characterization of the circumstances and that is partly why we initiated legal action against Maersk.”

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“The CFTC’s characterization of political contests, awards contests, and sporting events as forms of ‘gaming’ is arbitrary and capricious,” the letter said.

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Mr. Gottlieb astutely observes that although Wittgenstein bemoaned the philosophical “craving for generality,” he was prone to making broad characterizations himself.

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A spokeswoman for Caputo disputed the characterization that he resigned as international pressure on the Macri government intensified to abandon his central banker’s strategy.

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If someone wanted to make a characterization, you could say you’re flying in thick fog or something like that.

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Related Words

• confession 
• definition 
• depiction 
• detail 
• explanation 
• information 
• narration 
• narrative 
• picture 
• portrayal 
• report 
• sketch 
• statement 
• story 
• summary 
• tale 
• version