Characterization — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a graphic or vivid verbal description

the act of describing distinctive characteristics or essential features

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/kɹˈɛsəntˌɪfɔːɹm/

🇬🇧British English

/sˈɪnɪsˌɪzəmz/

🇮🇳Indian English

/sˈɪnɪsˌɪzəmz/

6 syllables Say it as /kɹˈɛsəntˌɪfɔːɹm/.

Examples

too often the narrative was interrupted by long word pictures
the author gives a depressing picture of life in Poland
the pamphlet contained brief characterizations of famous Vermonters

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

word-painting delineation portrayal word picture characterisation depiction personation picture enactment

Parts of Speech

noun	a graphic or vivid verbal description “too often the narrative was interrupted by long word pictures”
noun	the act of describing distinctive characteristics or essential features “the media's characterization of Al Gore as a nerd”
noun	acting the part of a character on stage; dramatically representing the character by speech and action and gesture

Word Forms

delineate	verb	determine the essential quality of
depict	verb	give a description of
characterise	verb	describe or portray the character or the qualities or peculiarities of
characterize	verb	describe or portray the character or the qualities or peculiarities of
portray	verb	assume or act the character of
enact	verb	act out; represent or perform as if in a play
personate	verb	pretend to be someone you are not; sometimes with fraudulent intentions

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Charakterisierung

eine grafische oder anschauliche verbale Beschreibung

🇫🇷French

caractérisation

une description graphique ou verbale vivante

🇪🇸Spanish

caracterización

una descripción verbal gráfica o vívida

🇮🇹Italian

caratterizzazione

una descrizione verbale grafica o vivida

🇳🇱Dutch

karakterisering

een grafische of levendige verbale beschrijving

🇵🇹Portuguese

caracterização

uma descrição verbal gráfica ou vívida

🇷🇺Russian

характеристика

графическое или яркое словесное описание

India

🇮🇳Hindi

निस्र्पण

एक ग्राफिक या ज्वलंत मौखिक विवरण

🇧🇩Bengali

চরিত্রায়ন

একটি গ্রাফিক বা প্রাণবন্ত মৌখিক বর্ণনা

🇮🇳Tamil

குணாதிசயம்

ஒரு வரைகலை அல்லது தெளிவான வாய்மொழி விளக்கம்

🇮🇳Telugu

క్యారెక్టరైజేషన్

గ్రాఫిక్ లేదా స్పష్టమైన శబ్ద వివరణ

🇮🇳Marathi

व्यक्तिचित्रण

ग्राफिक किंवा ज्वलंत शाब्दिक वर्णन

🇮🇳Gujarati

લાક્ષણિકતા

ગ્રાફિક અથવા આબેહૂબ મૌખિક વર્ણન

🇮🇳Kannada

ಗುಣಲಕ್ಷಣ

ಗ್ರಾಫಿಕ್ ಅಥವಾ ಎದ್ದುಕಾಣುವ ಮೌಖಿಕ ವಿವರಣೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

സ്വഭാവരൂപീകരണം

ഗ്രാഫിക് അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഉജ്ജ്വലമായ വാക്കാലുള്ള വിവരണം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ਤਾ

ਇੱਕ ਗ੍ਰਾਫਿਕ ਜਾਂ ਸਪਸ਼ਟ ਜ਼ਬਾਨੀ ਵਰਣਨ

🇵🇰Urdu

خصوصیت

ایک گرافک یا واضح زبانی وضاحت

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

表征

图形或生动的口头描述

🇯🇵Japanese

特徴づけ

グラフィックまたは生き生きとした口頭での説明

🇰🇷Korean

성격 묘사

생생하거나 생생한 구두 설명

🇻🇳Vietnamese

đặc tính

mô tả bằng lời nói bằng hình ảnh hoặc sinh động

🇹🇭Thai

ลักษณะ

คำอธิบายด้วยวาจาที่ชัดเจนหรือชัดเจน

🇮🇩Indonesian

karakterisasi

deskripsi verbal yang grafis atau jelas

🇵🇭Filipino

paglalarawan

isang graphic o matingkad na pandiwang paglalarawan

🇲🇾Malay

perwatakan

grafik atau penerangan lisan yang jelas

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

التوصيف

وصف رسومي أو لفظي واضح

🇮🇷Persian

شخصیت پردازی

یک توصیف شفاهی گرافیکی یا واضح

🇹🇷Turkish

karakterizasyon

grafik veya canlı bir sözlü açıklama

🇮🇱Hebrew

אִפיוּן

תיאור מילולי גרפי או חי

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'characterization'?

The primary meaning of 'characterization' is 'a graphic or vivid verbal description'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'characterization' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'characterization' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'characterization' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'characterization' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'characterization' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'characterization' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'characterization' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'characterization' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'characterization' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'characterization' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted