characterize
verb
char·ac·ter·ize
ˈker-ik-tə-ˌrīz 
ˈka-rik-
characterized; characterizing
1
: to describe the character (see character entry 1 sense 1a) or quality of
characterizes him as ambitious
2
: to be a characteristic of : distinguish
an era characterized by greed
Examples of characterize in a Sentence
How would you characterize the situation?
I would characterize this as a positive change for our company.
She had difficulty characterizing their relationship.
His personality is hard to characterize.
Farms and large flat fields characterize most of the area.
the beliefs that characterized Europe in the 15th century
Recent Examples on the Web
Near the end of the play, Majok’s script becomes, like Mann’s score, flatter and broader in its messaging, losing some of its sharpness of observation, and the humor that characterizes Kaysen’s memoir fades.
—
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 June 2026
Airflow streams become violent, compressible flows characterized by complex, interacting shock waves.
—David Szondy
june 04, New Atlas, 4 June 2026
Santos, whose political rise and fall was characterized by a notorious trail of lies and falsehoods, claimed my story was riddled with errors.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 4 June 2026
On Wednesday morning, von Wilpert, a San Diego City Council member, characterized the race as the most important in the region’s history.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for characterize
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Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 June 2026
Airflow streams become violent, compressible flows characterized by complex, interacting shock waves.
—David Szondy
june 04, New Atlas, 4 June 2026
Santos, whose political rise and fall was characterized by a notorious trail of lies and falsehoods, claimed my story was riddled with errors.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 4 June 2026
On Wednesday morning, von Wilpert, a San Diego City Council member, characterized the race as the most important in the region’s history.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for characterize
Cite this Entry
“Characterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/characterize. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
characterize
verb
char·ac·ter·ize
ˈkar-ik-tə-ˌrīz
characterized; characterizing
1
: to point out the character of an individual or group : describe
characterize him as ambitious
2
: to be characteristic of
tragic endings characterized her stories
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