portrait

[ pawr-trit, -treyt, pohr- ]

noun

1. a likeness of a person, especially of the face, as a painting, drawing, or photograph:

   a gallery of family portraits.

2. a verbal picture or description, usually of a person:

   a biography that provides a fascinating portrait of an 18th-century rogue.

adjective

1. Digital Technology. relating to or producing vertical, upright orientation of computer or other digital output, with lines of data parallel to the two shorter sides of a page or screen. Compare landscape. Compare landscape ( def 8 ).

portrait

/ -treɪt; ˈpɔːtrɪt /

noun

1. 1. a painting, drawing, sculpture, photograph, or other likeness of an individual, esp of the face
   2. ( as modifier )

      a portrait gallery

2. a verbal description or picture, esp of a person's character

adjective

1. printing (of a publication or an illustration in a publication) of greater height than width Compare landscape

Other Words From

• portrait·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of portrait¹

1560–70; < Middle French: a drawing, image, etc., noun use of past participle of portraire to portray

Example Sentences

“I allowed myself to believe the mainstream media’s distorted, dystopian portrait of President Trump. I no longer hold this belief and now regret having made those statements,” Kennedy said.

From Salon

“A Real Pain” “Payal Kapadia’s tender ‘All We Imagine as Light’ won the Grand Prix prize at Cannes for its visually sensual portrait of female friendship in Mumbai.

From Los Angeles Times

Researchers reporting in the Journal of Chemical Education prompted AI image generators for portraits of chemists.

From Science Daily

Leonardo had done such sorts of composition before, most notably in the exquisite “Lady With an Ermine,” a portrait of the Duke of Milan’s beautiful 16-year-old mistress.

From Los Angeles Times

Items include his glasses, the piano he practised on, a painting of the star by royal portrait artist Richard Stone, annotated joke books and piles of sketch ideas.

From BBC

Related Words

• account
• characterization
• depiction
• figure
• image
• likeness
• model
• painting
• photograph
• picture
• portrayal
• profile
• silhouette
• sketch
• snapshot
• vignette