portrayverb [ T ]
uk/pɔːˈtreɪ/us/pɔːrˈtreɪ/C2 to represent or describe someone or something in a painting, film, book, or other artistic work:
The painting portrays a beautiful young woman in a blue dress.
The writer portrays life in a small village at the turn of the century.
portray sb as sth
If a person in a film, book, etc. is portrayed as a particular type of character, they are represented in that way:
The father in the film is portrayed as a fairly unpleasant character.
More examples
- The book portrays him as a hero of the Wild West.
- He was portrayed as a ruthless opportunist who exploited the publicity at every opportunity.
- She was portrayed in the papers as the embodiment of evil.
- Marilyn was portrayed as some sort of dim-witted, floozy blonde.
- He was portrayed as a hopeless drunk.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Representation in art & in general
- capture
- depict
- depiction
- perspective
- poetic licence
- realism
- represent
- representation
- representational
- semiotics
- simulacrum
- stylized
- symbolic
- symbolism
portrayal
noun [ C ] uk/pɔːˈtreɪ.əl/us/pɔːrˈtreɪ.əl/
His latest movie is a grim portrayal of wartime suffering.