characterization

[ kar-ik-ter-uh-zey-shuhn, -truh-zey- ]

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

/ ˌkærɪktəraɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

1. description of character, traits, etc
2. the act of characterizing

Other Words From

• re·charac·ter·i·zation noun
• self-charac·ter·i·zation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of characterization¹

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

Example Sentences

Despite characterizations of premeditated grooming, Britt asserted that she felt safer with him than with any of the many men in her young life at whose hands she had, in Barney’s words, “suffered unspeakable violence.”

From Los Angeles Times

University officials disputed the union’s allegations, saying in a statement that “we fundamentally disagree with AFSCME’s claims of bad faith bargaining and characterization of unacceptable bargaining proposals.”

From Los Angeles Times

How do you make a characterization that’s at all specific when you have this many range of factors?

From Los Angeles Times

Since World War I, the military has tied veterans’ benefits to the characterization of their discharge.

From Los Angeles Times

It is the “special treatment” that Rio mentions to Agatha at the top of the penultimate episode, a characterization of events with which Agatha vehemently disagrees.

From Salon

Related Words

• confession
• definition
• depiction
• detail
• explanation
• information
• narration
• narrative
• picture
• portrayal
• report
• sketch
• statement
• story
• summary
• tale
• version