characterize
Americanverb (used with object)
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characterizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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characterized,
past participle, past
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characterizing
present participle
-
to mark or distinguish as a characteristic; be a characteristic of.
Rich metaphors characterize his poetry.
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to describe the character or individual quality of.
He characterized her in a few well-chosen words.
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to attribute character to.
to characterize him as a coward.
verb
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to be a characteristic of
loneliness characterized the place
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to distinguish or mark as a characteristic
-
to describe or portray the character of
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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characterizernoun
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mischaracterizeverb (used with object)
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recharacterizeverb (used with object)
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characterizableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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characterizesimple
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characterizessimple
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have characterizedperfect
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has characterizedperfect
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am characterizingprogressive
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are characterizingprogressive
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is characterizingprogressive
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have been characterizingperfect progressive
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has been characterizingperfect progressive
Past
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characterizedsimple
-
had characterizedperfect
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was characterizingprogressive
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were characterizingprogressive
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had been characterizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of characterize
First recorded in 1585–95; from Medieval Latin charactērizāre, from Greek charaktērízein; see character, -ize
Explanation
To characterize someone is to describe them in a certain way, to try to pin down his or her personality. If you say your dad is stingy, you are characterizing him as a miser. See the word character in characterize? Two meanings of character can help you understand this word. We all have character, meaning we all have unique personalities. Also, characters are people in books, movies, plays, and TV shows. Characterizing has to do with summing up how a person acts in real life or is portrayed in a work of fiction.
Vocabulary lists containing characterize
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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:
Proponents of the measure characterize the effort as procedural: It will firm up timelines, but projects still will be reviewed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Design studies for Olana included in the exhibit provide further details about the ornamental stencils that characterize Church’s home both inside and out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Hartig told lawmakers that while the White House report is under review, "we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum."
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Working together, the two proteins produced the exceptionally long telomeres that characterize melanoma tumors.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 1, 2026
Like the changes in seed dispersal, these changes in germination inhibition characterize wheat, barley, peas, and many other crops compared with their wild ancestors.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
“We do not believe the inquiry accurately characterizes our actions or practices and will cooperate through the appropriate process.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
It characterizes the lower court as engaging in “a string of speculation” about what the federal agencies might do when, and how that speculation illustrates that the state’s claims aren’t ripe for review.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
Griffin’s countersuit claims that the classmate’s lawsuit characterizes her as “a fraud and a thief.”
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
The shares have since wavered, falling 16% on Monday alone, and options sellers are helping to create a two-way flow, which characterizes healthy markets.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
They attribute the cyclical nature of racial progress to the “unstable equilibrium” that characterizes the United States’ racial order.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Researchers say clinical trials will need to use carefully characterized and standardized mulberry preparations.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
Fujitsu’s next year or two will likely be characterized by investment and development of new businesses, including Monaka-based servers and quantum computing-related offerings, she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Analysts led by Matthew Lofting gently characterized BP’s recent tumultuous history as “chequered” but said the company’s balance sheet improvement means the stock is “no longer a poison pill.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
One young man observed that even the way I’d characterized the change in Bitcoin’s price as a loss of value was unnecessarily pessimistic.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
They are not characterized by a particular virtue.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
I don’t think it was as simple as Reddington, perhaps, is characterizing the note, or as the media is characterizing the note.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
"CMDR's laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art chemical instrumentation for quantifying and characterizing microplastics in environmental samples," explains Lynch.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026
In near-daily appearances, he has vowed to press ahead, characterizing the luxury development as an economic boon for one of Europe’s poorest countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
“It was a musical that was revolutionary and changed the game,” he said, characterizing the show as “a rock concert where a play breaks out.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
I voiced these thoughts to Hugh, who denounced both me and the crowd, unironically characterizing the atmosphere as "carnivallike."
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
