portray
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to represent in a painting, drawing, sculpture, etc; make a portrait of
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to make a verbal picture of; depict in words
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to play the part of (a character) in a play or film
Synonym Usage
See depict.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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portrayalnoun
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portrayernoun
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preportrayverb (used with object)
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nonportrayableadjective
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portrayableadjective
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unportrayableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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portraysimple
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portrayssimple
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have portrayedperfect
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has portrayedperfect
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am portrayingprogressive
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are portrayingprogressive
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is portrayingprogressive
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have been portrayingperfect progressive
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has been portrayingperfect progressive
Past
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portrayedsimple
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had portrayedperfect
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was portrayingprogressive
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were portrayingprogressive
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had been portrayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of portray
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English portrayen, from Middle French portraire, from Late Latin prōtrahere “to depict,” Latin: “to draw forth,” equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + trahere “to draw”
Explanation
When you paint a picture of someone, either in words or in paint, you portray them. Actors portray characters too. Whether you're talking about acting or another art form, the idea is the same: representing a person and bringing to light their most important qualities. To portray a person is to show who that person is, giving a sense of their personality or character. Often, famous people don't like how they're portrayed. For example, Presidents usually hate how they're portrayed in editorial cartoons. When you portray someone, you can be positive or negative, accurate or inaccurate. It's up to you.
Vocabulary lists containing portray
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 4
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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:
“The Israel Prison Service rejects attempts to portray systematic abuse or unlawful conduct by its personnel,” the agency’s spokesperson said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
It’s why she largely sinks in dramas but succeeds in comedies, where she can portray a version of herself that makes people laugh just by thinking, “Isn’t it so funny that Jennifer Aniston said that?”
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
They will continue to portray a bearish outlook for stocks until they roll over and begin to decline.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
He said that omission had "the hallmarks of a witness trying to portray a certain picture".
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
I don’t have the words to explain to you how hard it is for me to sit and write this, to portray myself as if I were something special, as if I were not humble.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
In a Bicentennial print, the Luiseño artist Fritz Scholder portrays a Native American man clad in an inverted American flag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The company portrays itself as the goose and its portfolio companies as eggs with a message that seems to be saying SoftBank is worth more than investors believe.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
Time Out said the film was a cross between "Greek tragedy" and "British social realism", calling actress Leisa Gwenllian - who portrays Effi - "formidable", while The Guardian described the film as a "sensation".
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
I sought a comment from Bhattacharya, who portrays himself as a champion of open scientific debate, about the eviction of the five scientists from the conference, but got no reply.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
This 1805 Benjamin West painting, Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky, portrays Franklin as a scientific hero.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
The attention economy is often portrayed helpfully by media outlets as an individual problem to be mitigated by reducing our own dependence on screens and devices.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Grisetti portrayed Nigel Bottom from 2017 to 2018 for the show’s national tour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Can you make any comment about the way it's been portrayed or reported on?
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The investigation portrayed a side of the egg business that few consumers ever encounter: an esoteric trading system built around an online marketplace that antitrust enforcers said could be manipulated by sharp traders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
The highlight was going to be a special appearance by the woman who portrayed Mother Paula in the advertisements and TV spots.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Sir Anthony is known for portraying psychotic serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 horror film The Silence Of The Lambs, for which he won an Oscar for Best Actor the following year.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
She regularly meets with American bankers and businessmen, portraying herself as a champion for foreign investment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
"The commission is concerned that Sanofi pursued a misleading communication campaign to disparage Fluad by portraying it as inferior to Efluelda, going against national vaccination recommendations in several member states," a commission statement said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
Daveigh Chase, the former child actor best known for voicing Lilo in Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” and portraying the haunting figure Samara in “The Ring,” has died at age 35.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026
Goedart inspired Maria by portraying all stages of a single species of butterfly on the same page.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
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.
