characterize
Formscharacterizes, characterizing, characterized
UK spellingcharacterise
- 1To describe someone or something in a certain way, often a bad or unfair way.
Like drawing a picture of someone with words: and the picture can be fair or unfair.
Critics characterize the new law as unfair to workers.
She characterized her brother as lazy, which made him angry.
Similardescribe, portray, depict, label, cast
Note
- 2To be a typical quality or feature of something or someone.
Long lines and loud music characterize this festival every year.
Heavy rain characterizes the summer in that part of the country.
Similartypify, distinguish, mark, define
Note
- 3To study something carefully to find out what it is like.
Like testing a new bike: checking the brakes, wheels, and seat to learn everything about it.
Scientists characterize new materials before they are used in products.
The lab characterized the virus to learn how it spreads.
Similaranalyze
Note
Use it in a sentence
Write your own sentence with characterize, and AI will tell you whether it fits and which meaning you used.
Origin
It comes from a Greek word meaning "to mark with a special sign," from the word for a mark or character. It is made from "character" plus "-ize."