portrayed

[pawr-treyd]

adjective

1. represented in drawing, painting, carving, or other visual image.

   The range of artistic approaches to Queen Elizabeth, the most portrayed woman in the world, make the exhibit well worth seeing.

2. graphically described in words.

   In the finely portrayed characters and vivid details of the rural setting, his novel illuminates a neglected piece of Jamaican history.

3. represented dramatically, as on the stage.

   Set in a richly portrayed society well-stocked with eccentric nobles and gossipy villagers, the series revolves around the daughter of a respected country doctor.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of portray.

Other Word Forms

• unportrayed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of portrayed¹

portray ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Clarence Dillon was portrayed in the press as a model investment banker, but his public image veiled a darker reality.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The current focus on the martyrdom of figures like the Chinese agents portrayed in “The Silent Honor” is serving as a similar effort to shape public views, the people close to Beijing’s decision-making said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The other notable character is the Arbiter, who functions primarily, and exhaustingly, as narrator, portrayed with brittle humor by Bryce Pinkham.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Maslany, who portrayed the doomed mother in “The Monkey,” brings an edge to Liz from the start, the character’s romantic anxieties segueing into a fear that something in the house is out to kill her.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Portland police Chief Bob Day said at a Sept. 29 press conference that the city had been inaccurately portrayed through the lens of the protests in 2020 and 2021.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• descriptive 
• illustrated 
• photographic 
• visual 
• vivid