Synonyms

characterized

American

[kar-ik-tuh-rahyzd] / ˈkær ɪk təˌraɪzd /

especially British, characterised

adjective

having been described or distinguished.

Further identification is possible by comparing the unknown organism with a characterized organism.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of characterize.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of characterized

characterize ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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.

Another member, Mark Jensen, characterized it as “like high school” but with “a lot of retired attorneys with time on their hands.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

From several centimeters to several meters, this flooding is generally characterized by several waves, and the first waves are not necessarily the largest.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2026

It has characterized these unrealized gains, on its earnings calls, as the fruits of savvy investment shopping.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

But El Niño in 2023-24, which was characterized as “strong,” did bring with it a pretty wet year for Southern California, with downtown L.A. receiving 155% of its typical annual rainfall.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

As philosopher of science Karl Popper has emphasized, a good theory is characterized by the fact that it makes a number of predictions that could in principle be disproved or falsified by observation.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023