Dictionary
Thesaurus
Sentence Examples

Dictionary Home » Dictionary Definitions » characterize

characterize

Listen See in Thesaurus See in a sentence

To characterize is to describe something by its distinctive and unique features.

(verb)

An example of to characterize is viewing religious devotion as a trait that characterizes a priest.
An example of a situation where you characterize the author is when you describe an author's work as sentimental.

YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2013 by LoveToKnow Corp.

See characterize in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb characterized, characterizing

to describe or portray the particular qualities, features, or traits of
to be the distinctive character of; distinguish: a miser is characterized by greed

Origin: ML characterizare < Gr charaktērizein: see character

See characterize in American Heritage Dictionary 4

transitive verb character·ized, character·iz·ing, character·iz·es

To describe the qualities or peculiarities of: characterized the warden as ruthless.
To be a distinctive trait or mark of; distinguish: the rash and high fever that characterize this disease; a region that is characterized by its dikes and canals.

Related Forms:

charˈac·ter·izˌer noun

Learn more about characterize

characterize synonyms

characterize in a sentence

link/cite print suggestion box

More from YD

» more results...

character sketch

character traits

characterization

characterological

About YourDictionary Advertisers Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use Help
© 1996-2013 LoveToKnow, Corp. All Rights Reserved. Audio pronunciation provided by LoveToKnow, Corp.