Meaning & use
delineation
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Meanings
noununcountable
A precise description or drawing that shows clearly where something begins and ends or what it contains.
Grammar: Often followed by of: a delineation of the problem.
Patterns
- a delineation of something
- careful delineation of something
The report offers a clear delineation of each team's duties.
Her delineation of the problem helped the board decide.
The map includes a careful delineation of the park's boundaries.
nouncountable or uncountabletechnical
The drawing of a boundary or outline on paper or the ground.
Grammar: Used in surveying and design, often with of the boundary.
Patterns
- delineation of a boundary
- wetland delineation
The surveyor completed the delineation of the property lines.
Wetland delineation must be finished before building begins.
The painted delineation of the lanes was faded.
nouncountableliterary
A lifelike portrayal of a person or character in writing or art.
Grammar: A literary use, often with of and a character name.
Patterns
- delineation of a character
Critics praised the author's delineation of the old sailor.
The novel's delineation of small-town life feels honest.
Word forms
| plural | delineations |
|---|
Common combinations
- clear delineation
- There is no clear delineation between work and home.
- delineation of boundaries
- The treaty required the delineation of boundaries.
- careful delineation
- The project needs careful delineation of each task.
- delineation of responsibilities
- The contract includes a delineation of responsibilities.
- delineation of character
- His delineation of character is vivid and economical.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outline
- Outline is plainer and can be rough, whereas delineation suggests careful, exact work.
- description
- Description is a general word, and delineation implies precise limits as well.
- demarcation
- Demarcation is about marking a border line, while delineation can also describe a character or idea.
- depiction
- Depiction is a picture or portrayal and carries no strong sense of marking limits.
Word family
- delineate verb
- to describe or draw precisely
- delineated adjective
- clearly marked or described
- delineator noun
- a person or thing that marks a limit, such as a road marker
- line noun
- the base word, from Latin linea
Commonly confused: delineation or deliberation? delineation or delineate?
delineation vs deliberation
Deliberation is careful thought or discussion before deciding. It shares the first letters but means something else.
delineation vs delineate
Delineate is the verb, while delineation is the noun for the act or its result.
Practice
The treaty included a precise ___ of the border between the two countries.
Choose one answer.
Delineation means a precise marking out of limits. Deliberation is careful thought, deletion is removal, and delegation is handing tasks to others.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “delineation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.