Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

characterization

American  
[kar-ik-ter-uh-zey-shuhn, -truh-zey-] / ˌkær ɪk tər əˈzeɪ ʃən, -trəˈzeɪ- /

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 British  
/ ˌkærɪktəraɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

  1. description of character, traits, etc

  2. the act of characterizing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Similarly, Powell’s characterization of employment conditions could also provide some hints as to whether the committee remains concerned enough to trigger additional cuts in the near term.

From Barron's

The meeting was tense, attendees said, and the characterization of complaints as “rumors” was a point of contention.

From The Wall Street Journal

The company disputed the Senate report’s characterizations of its practices.

From The Wall Street Journal

A UnitedHealth spokesman said the company disagreed with the Senate report’s characterizations.

From The Wall Street Journal

The two officials familiar with the probe who spoke on the condition of anonymity disputed Neff’s characterization of the findings.

From Los Angeles Times