What does characterize mean?

Definitions for characterize
ˈkær ɪk təˌraɪzchar·ac·ter·ize

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word characterize.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. qualify, characterize, characteriseverb

    describe or portray the character or the qualities or peculiarities of

    "You can characterize his behavior as that of an egotist"; "This poem can be characterized as a lament for a dead lover"

  2. characterize, characteriseverb

    be characteristic of

    "What characterizes a Venetian painting?"

GCIDE

  1. Characterizeverb

    (Chem.) to identify the structure or nature of; as, the antibiotic activity in the sample was characterized by HPLC, and proved to be erythromycin.

Wiktionary

  1. characterizeverb

    To depict someone or something a particular way (often negative.)

  2. characterizeverb

    To determine the characteristics of.

  3. Etymology: From characterizare, from χαρακτηρίζω, from χαρακτήρ.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. To Characterizeverb

    Etymology: from character.

    It is some commendation, that we have avoided publickly to characterize any person, without long experience. Jonathan Swift.

    They may be called anticipations, prenotions, or sentiments characterized and engraven in the soul, born with it, and growing up with it. Matthew Hale, Origin of Mankind.

    There are faces not only individual, but gentilitious and national; European, Asiatick, Chinese, African, and Grecian faces are characterized. John Arbuthnot, on Air.

ChatGPT

  1. characterize

    To characterize means to describe or define the distinctive qualities, features or traits of someone or something. It often involves analyzing and detailing the essential attributes or aspects that make up the nature or identity of a person, object or concept.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Characterizeverb

    to make distinct and recognizable by peculiar marks or traits; to make with distinctive features

  2. Characterizeverb

    to engrave or imprint

  3. Characterizeverb

    to indicate the character of; to describe

  4. Characterizeverb

    to be a characteristic of; to make, or express the character of

  5. Etymology: [LL. characterizare, Gr. : cf. F. charactriser.]

Editors Contribution

  1. characterize

    To express the character of.

    They did characterize the president beautifully as a loving, kind, empathetic and passionate being.


    Submitted by MaryC on April 15, 2020  

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'characterize' in Verbs Frequency: #949

How to pronounce characterize?

How to say characterize in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of characterize in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of characterize in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of characterize in a Sentence

  1. United States:

    For anyone to characterize the fact that the President is taking care to make sure our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are safe as somehow being a greenlight for a massacre is irresponsible and doesn't comport with the reality of the situation.

  2. Jonathan Miller:

    Over the past few years, we've passed the affordability threshold, with the loss of the ability to comfortably use all the amenities that characterize living in a city -- restaurants, retail, bars, all the cultural events that were at your beck and call as a resident of Manhattan -- people are questioning it. Those were the salve on affordability.

  3. Geoffroy Avard:

    We would like to characterize how life reclaims this environment, a main hypothesis from our study is that life in Costa Rica Poás volcano is able to survive on the fringes during these extreme environments. So we'd love to sample not only the crater lake but the shore line, connected groundwater systems, and anywhere where life might be harbored nearby.

  4. Bill Clinton:

    I don't know how you would characterize the gang leaders who got 13-year-old kids hopped up on crack and sent them out on the street to murder other African-American children.

  5. Bruce Clark:

    From our standpoint we wouldn't characterize Tesla as having a robust liquidity position by any means, but it's less tenuous than it was six to nine months ago.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

characterize#10000#17004#100000

Translations for characterize

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"characterize." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/characterize>.

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