Meaning & use
portraying
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“portraying” is a form of “portray”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Showing someone or something in a particular way in writing, speech, film or art, often shaping how others see them.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with 'as': portraying the mayor as honest.
Patterns
- portraying someone as something
- portraying something in a certain light
The documentary succeeds in portraying farmers as complex, hardworking people.
Newspapers were accused of portraying the protesters as violent.
The artist is known for portraying everyday life in the city.
verbtransitive
Playing the part of a character in a film, play or show.
Grammar: Takes a character as object: portraying Queen Victoria.
Patterns
- portraying a character
She won praise for portraying a lonely widow in the new drama.
He is portraying the young Einstein in the stage show.
Portraying a real person requires careful research.
verbtransitive
Painting or drawing a likeness of a person or scene.
Grammar: Takes an object: portraying a sitter.
Patterns
- portraying someone in a painting
The painting is portraying the queen in a golden gown.
He spent a year portraying the villagers of his hometown.
Portraying a child's expression is harder than it looks.
Word forms
| base form | portray |
|---|
Common combinations
- portraying someone as
- The book avoids portraying him as a villain.
- portraying a character
- The actor is portraying a retired detective.
- portraying in a positive light
- The ad is portraying the product in a positive light.
- portraying accurately
- Critics doubt the film is portraying history accurately.
- portraying the reality of
- The novel succeeds in portraying the reality of life in the mines.
Synonyms and how they differ
- depicting
- Depicting is close in meaning but is used mostly for visual or descriptive representation, while portraying can add interpretation.
- representing
- Representing is broader and can mean standing for something symbolically.
- playing
- Playing is plain and used only for acting roles, while portraying sounds more formal.
- characterizing
- Characterizing suggests describing someone's nature, usually in words.
Opposites
Word family
- portray verb
- to show or play in a certain way
- portrayal noun
- a depiction or performance
- portrait noun
- a picture of a person
- portraitist noun
- a person who paints portraits
Commonly confused: portraying or betraying?
portraying vs betraying
Betraying means being disloyal or revealing a secret, which sounds similar but is unrelated.
Practice
The film was criticized for ___ the villagers as lazy and unfriendly.
Choose one answer.
Portraying someone as something means showing them in a certain way. The other options do not fit with 'as' in this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “portraying”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.