portraits

noun

plural of portrait
as in descriptions
a vivid representation in words of someone or something his account created in the jurors' heads a detailed portrait of a lonely old man

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of portraits Lined with portraits of tango legends on the wall, the space feels beautifully preserved. — Nikkita Nair, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026 Whether these portraits represent past patrons, whose stories once unspooled over these same steaming cups, Kim declines to comment. — James Marsh, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026 Trump has expanded that all around the room, stacking the walls with portraits including those of George Washington, Andrew Jackson and Benjamin Franklin. — Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026 These portraits of teen-agers by Joseph Szabo captivated the filmmaker Sofia Coppola with an intimacy that never feels intrusive. — Austin Elias-De Jesus, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2026 One of Florine’s portraits of Ettie provides insight into the character of Susanna Moore. — Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026 Even someone who has not had the wrenching experience of reading his book would surely find these portraits exceptionally moving. — Alan Hollinghurst, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026 Several hang in the Musée d’Orsay, including one of his portraits of the physician who treated him, Doctor Paul Gachet. — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026 Photographs, paintings, and prints by Mark Delmont, Xavier Scott Marshall, Ferg, Salimatu Amabebe, and Chris Ofili cover the walls, along with treasured family portraits. — Camille Okhio, Architectural Digest, 30 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for portraits
  1. descriptions
  2. pictures
  3. depictions
  4. portrayals
  5. sketches
Noun
  • Bread & Butter’s title track is the only time when things decamp to the treacly, mostly because of how Cartunez’s syrupy beat drowns out Droog’s hazy memories of 9/11 and descriptions of a side chick who looks like Ronnie from The Player’s Club.
    — Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026
  • OpenAI also did not include full prompts or run-time details for how their agents uncovered the proofs, and officials admitted in a blog post about the results that citations and written descriptions of findings could be improved in future releases.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of descriptions
Noun
  • Stone, in a royal blue skirt suit, posed for pictures before stopping to chat happily with the Haim sisters, with Este Haim breaking into song.
    — Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Messi posted on social media pictures of him arriving to join the national team for the last time and his final training sessions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of pictures
Noun
  • The cumulative effect of the bowl’s ambient violence (robbery, assault, and overdose abound) amounts to an open-air despair not unlike Fox News-style depictions of California as a wholesale war zone.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The collaboration launches with the work of LeRoy Neiman, who is known for his expressionist depictions of sports, leisure, and other facets of Americana.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of depictions
Noun
  • Some scientists are pushing back against these utopian portrayals.
    — Christopher von Rueden, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2026
  • These two novels are just a sampling of recent portrayals of this surreal land of limbo, but there are many more.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of portrayals
Noun
  • Alex and Phoebe and Christian were writing and making sketches of stuff.
    — Christine Werthman, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Sotheby’s said Turner based the painting on sketches made during an 1828 visit and probably began it in Rome before completing it in London for exhibition at the Royal Academy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of sketches

Browse Nearby Words

portrait
portraits
portraiture
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Portraits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/portraits. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Luddite

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All