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Showing results for characterization. Search instead for characterizations.
Synonyms

characterization

American  
[kar-ik-ter-uh-zey-shuhn, -truh-zey-] / ˌkær ɪk tər əˈzeɪ ʃən, -trəˈzeɪ- /

noun

  1. portrayal; description.

    the actor's characterization of a politician.
    Synonyms:
    delineation, depiction, representation

  2. the act of characterizing or describing the individual quality of a person or thing.

  3. the creation and convincing representation of fictitious characters, as in a literary work.

characterization British  
/ ˌkærɪktəraɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

  1. description of character, traits, etc

  2. the act of characterizing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • recharacterization noun
  • self-characterization noun

Etymology

Origin of characterization

1560–70; < Medieval Latin charactērizāt ( us ) marked (past participle of charactērizāre to characterize; -ate 1 ) + Latin -iōn- -ion

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.

It described Ruger’s characterization of the discussions as false and misleading, and said it remains open to a negotiated outcome.

From The Wall Street Journal

In 2024, surveys and focus groups of Hispanic voters made it clear that not everyone was convinced by this characterization.

From Salon

"Now there is also genetic characterization. In this case, there's genetic characterization of every single individual used to describe that fish to prevent including hybrid specimens."

From Science Daily

A CoreWeave spokeswoman disputed this characterization and said that the company “operates independently and our partner decisions are driven by customer demand and technical performance for the most versatile GPU technology available.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Pressed repeatedly by lawmakers, Gabbard declined to directly endorse that characterization, instead arguing that determining what constitutes an imminent threat is ultimately the responsibility of the president.

From Barron's

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.