portrayal

1 a word picture of a person's appearance and character [syn: portraiture, portrait]

2 acting the part of a character on stage; dramaticially representing the character by speech and action and gesture [syn: characterization, enactment, personation]

3 a representation by picture or portraiture [syn: depicting, depiction, portraying]

4 any likeness of a person; "the photographer made excellent portraits" [syn: portrait]

5 representation by drawing or painting etc [syn: depiction, delineation]

English

Etymology

portray + -al

Pronunciation

(US) IPA: /ˌpɔrˈtreɪ.əl/

• Rhymes: -eɪəl

Noun

1. the act of portraying
2. the result of portraying; a representation, description, or portrait
   • 1866, Charlotte Yonge, The Dove in the Eagle's Nest

     He had already designed the portrayal of his father as the old white king, and himself as the young white king, in a series of woodcuts illustrating the narrative which culminated in the one romance of his life, ...

   • 1909, Arnold Bennett, Literary Taste

     For days afterwards you will not be able to look upon a child without recalling Lamb's portrayal of the grace of childhood.

Translations

• German: Abbild

acting, alphabet, aping, art, blueprint, buffoonery, business, cameo, catalog, cataloging, character, character sketch, charactering, characterization, chart, choreography, conventional representation, dance notation, delineation, demonstration, depiction, depictment, description, details, diagram, drama, drawing, dumb show, embodiment, enacting, enactment, evocation, exemplification, figuration, gag, graphic account, ham, hammy acting, head, hieroglyphic, hoke, hokum, iconography, ideogram, illustration, image, imagery, imaging, imitation, impersonation, impression, incarnation, itemization, letter, limning, logogram, logograph, map, masquerade, mimesis, mimicking, mimicry, miming, miniature, mummery, musical notation, notation, overacting, pantomime, pantomiming, particularization, patter, performance, performing, personation, personification, photograph, pictogram, picture, picturization, plan, playacting, playing, portrait, portraiture, posing, prefigurement, presentment, printing, profile, projection, realization, rendering, rendition, representation, schema, score, script, silhouette, sketch, slapstick, specification, stage business, stage directions, stage presence, stunt, syllabary, symbol, tablature, taking a role, vignette, vivid description, word painting, writing