portrayal
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Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of portrayal
Explanation
If you like the way an actor played the role of Abraham Lincoln, you might praise his portrayal of the sixteenth president. Use the noun portrayal to describe the representation of someone, either in the form of a dramatic character, a spoken description, or even a photograph or painting of the person. You can also talk about the portrayal of an object or idea: "Dorothea Lange's photographs are an accurate portrayal of the Great Depression." The Old French word portraire, "to draw or trace," is the root of portrayal.
Vocabulary lists containing portrayal
Academy Awards, List 6
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Between Shades of Gray
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The Unmapped Sea
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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:
And instead of shying away from expected tropes that have defined a genre he loves, Firstman wanted to use them to dive deeper into a portrayal of queer nightlife subculture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
The primary criticism of the movies at the time concerned Christensen’s portrayal of Anakin as a whiny child throwing a deadly tantrum.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026
Sir Patrick would later be celebrated for his portrayal of Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film franchise.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Besides the distinguished Starfleet officer, Stewart is also known for his portrayal of Professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” franchise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Once we have posed the problem of this “artisan’s” portrayal, we feel compelled to investigate it further.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
"The more portrayals that we see on TV, that's going to inspire more disabled people to think it's a career for them," he says.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Adds Miyashita: "These puzzles beckon our curiosity. After all, spiral forms in nature have inspired human creations ranging from rotini pasta, to a barber's pole or even portrayals of the biblical 'Tower of Babel'."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
Inspired by Hans Holbein, this portrait of the English novelist and his artist partner was one of the first celebratory portrayals of a gay couple.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
What once would have required a professional production team can now be created and distributed in hours, allowing supporters and campaigns to produce highly stylized portrayals of political figures at scale.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
Fortunately, today’s scientists, historians, and art collectors have rediscovered and acknowledged her work for what it is: amazingly beautiful, accurate portrayals of insect metamorphoses and ecosystems.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
