Synonyms of sketch

sketch 1 of 2

noun

ˈskech 

1

as in drawing

a picture using lines to represent the chief features of an object or scene

made a quick sketch from which she would create a more detailed painting later

Synonyms & Similar Words

• drawing
• portrait
• illustration
• depiction
• image
• cartoon
• outline
• delineation
• representation
• caricature
• contour
• silhouette
• watercolor
• doodle
• engraving
• likeness
• etching
• figure
• blueprint
• charcoal
• pastel
• etch
• line drawing
• aquatint

2

as in portrait

a vivid representation in words of someone or something

gave her boss quick sketches of the personalities of the clients he was about to meet

Synonyms & Similar Words

• portrait
• description
• depiction
• portrayal
• picture
• definition
• rendering
• tale
• vignette
• delineation
• illustration
• portraiture
• account
• narrative
• report
• story
• chronicle
• anecdote
• explanation
• demonstration
• yarn
• clarification
• exposition
• exemplification
• explication
• elucidation

sketch

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to trace

to draw or make apparent the outline of

sketched the garden pavilion on a pad of paper so the homeowners would have a rough idea of how it was going to look

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trace
• outline
• define
• circle
• silhouette
• trim
• round
• delineate
• line
• bound
• surround
• draw
• frame
• margin
• loop
• fringe
• chart
• skirt
• edge
• rim
• hem
• ring
• map (out)
• diagram
• compass
• encircle
• girdle
• girth

2

as in to describe

to give a representation or account of in words

briefly sketched the intent of the reorganization plan

Synonyms & Similar Words

• describe
• portray
• depict
• paint
• set out
• image
• render
• picture
• draw
• illustrate
• outline
• characterize
• delineate
• recount
• define
• show
• limn
• summarize
• represent
• report
• display
• relate
• tell
• exhibit
• demonstrate
• label
• trace
• recite
• suggest
• narrate
• qualify
• hint
• rehearse
• silhouette
• draft
• vignette
• sum up
• touch off
• redescribe
• reimage

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• color
• distort
• twist
• falsify
• misrepresent
• pervert
• warp
• misstate
• misdescribe
• garble

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sketch

Noun

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, 29 Sep. 2026

Drawing on home movies, street-protest footage, newspapers, sketches, photographs, and recorded voices, Ahangarani intertwines her life story with more than four decades of political upheaval. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026

Verb

An overflow crowd packed into a South Side union training hall Thursday night and loudly rejected the plan sketched out by Amtrak officials for a massive new maintenance center in their neighborhood. — Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

Early deals are already popping up across everything from paper-like displays built for reading and sketching to massive Android tablets that can basically moonlight as laptops. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026