portrayal
AmericanOther Word Forms
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:
Petals and hearts were photoshopped on to the then-Labour leader by the "Milifandom", a movement of young, mostly female, voters sharing romanticised images on Twitter to protest against Miliband's "distorted media portrayal".
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
The only time she appears to get emotional is during Hampstead - a ballad that deals with her portrayal in the media and the darker corners of the internet.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Where “Auden” really shines is in its portrayal of the life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
He wanted to avoid the mistakes he thought prosecutors had made, chief among them, in his view: They were so eager to show Blake’s motive that they acquiesced to the harsh portrayal of the victim.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
All were an accurate portrayal and would certainly be considered anti-Soviet.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
Notably, the show didn’t hook viewers with sex or other salacious material but, rather, plausible portrayals of greed and motivating vindictiveness.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Fiona admits Duchess' presence sometimes unsettled other dog owners, but is adamant the breed's muscular appearance, as well as media portrayals, are causing a harmful stigma.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
It’s a real role in the church, and while it’s not exactly like Hollywood portrayals, it’s not entirely dissimilar from the movies either.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026
Mr. Nayler develops these civilizational portrayals in a story skillfully sown with dramatic surprises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 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
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.
