Meaning & use
portrait
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Meanings
nouncountable
A painting, drawing, or photograph that shows a particular person, especially their face.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a portrait' or 'portraits'. Often followed by 'of': a portrait of the queen.
Patterns
- a portrait of someone
- paint a portrait
- take a portrait
The gallery has a famous portrait of a young woman.
He took a portrait of his grandmother in the garden.
She painted a portrait of her dog.
nouncountablefigurative
A detailed written or filmed description of someone or something.
Grammar: Used figuratively, often in phrases like 'a portrait of life in...'.
Patterns
- a portrait of something
- paint a portrait of something
The novel paints a vivid portrait of small-town life.
The documentary offers a portrait of a changing industry.
Word forms
| plural | portraits |
|---|
Common combinations
- a family portrait
- They hung a family portrait above the fireplace.
- a self-portrait
- Van Gogh painted many self-portraits.
- a portrait painter
- She is a portrait painter who works on commission.
- sit for a portrait
- The president sat for a portrait in the Oval Office.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- portraiture noun
- The art or practice of making portraits.
- portraitist noun
- An artist who makes portraits.
Commonly confused: portrait or portray?
portrait vs portray
Portray is a verb meaning to show or represent someone in a picture or story; portrait is the noun.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
We say 'a portrait of someone' to show who is in the picture. 'To' and 'for' do not fit this pattern; 'with' would mean the mother was helping paint, not the subject.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “portrait”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.