# characterise

Pronunciation: UK say "KA-rik-tuh-ryz" /ˈkæɹəktəɹaɪz/; US say "KAIR-ik-tuh-ryz" /ˈkɛɹəktəɹaɪz/

## Verb

1. To be typical of someone or something, as one of their usual features or qualities.
   - Simple: To be something you usually find in a person, place or thing.
   - _Long, dark winters and short summers characterise life in the far north of Scotland._
   - _The period was characterised by rising prices and frequent strikes._
2. To describe or portray someone or something as being of a particular kind, often in an unfavourable light.
   - Simple: To say what someone or something is like, often in an unkind or negative way.
   - _Critics characterise the new policy as a tax on the poor._
   - _The minister characterised the protesters as a noisy minority who spoke for no one._
3. To work out or establish what the particular characteristics of something are.
   - Simple: To find out what something is like and what its special qualities are.
   - _Researchers took core samples to characterise the soil beneath the site._
   - _Engineers need to characterise how the bridge behaves in high winds before it opens._

## Origin

Formed from character + the suffix -ise.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/characterise (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).