characterization
Americannoun
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portrayal; description.
the actor's characterization of a politician.
- Synonyms:
- delineation, depiction, representation
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the act of characterizing or describing the individual quality of a person or thing.
-
the creation and convincing representation of fictitious characters, as in a literary work.
noun
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description of character, traits, etc
-
the act of characterizing
Other Word Forms
- recharacterization noun
- self-characterization noun
Etymology
Origin of characterization
1560–70; < Medieval Latin charactērizāt ( us ) marked (past participle of charactērizāre to characterize; -ate 1 ) + Latin -iōn- -ion
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.
This is a fitting characterization of any of these terse, disturbing novels.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
In 2024, surveys and focus groups of Hispanic voters made it clear that not everyone was convinced by this characterization.
From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026
Additional support came from EPFL's shared research facilities for nanofabrication, materials characterization, and high-performance computing, including CMi, MHMC, and SCITAS.
From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026
Whether one agrees with that characterization is beside the point.
From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026
Abigail’s earlier characterization of the Adams-Jefferson competition—the oak versus the willow—proved prophetic.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
