portrayal
noun
por·tray·al
pȯr-ˈtrā(-ə)l 
pər-
1
: the act or process or an instance of portraying : representation
2
: portrait
Synonyms
Examples of portrayal in a Sentence
his novel presents a moving portrayal of a woman searching for personal fulfillment and happiness
Recent Examples on the Web
The film was a bleak portrayal of the world’s greatest band falling apart, released just weeks after Paul McCartney officially announced their split.
—
Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
In his portrayal of Remy, Daniels nicely draws out the paternal fretfulness of an accidental dad.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
John Travolta earned an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Shapiro in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story in 2016.
—Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
For his portrayal of legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, Cooper donned a fake nose that some deemed antisemitic.
—Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
There is also an equally delightful portrayal of friendship between Meg and Alice (Faith Wright).
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2024
His endearing awkwardness made his portrayal of the underdog Stanley quite believable — someone audiences could truly root for.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024
Phoenix earned the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Arthur Fleck, aka the Joker.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
For his portrayal of Robert J. Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s Best Picture-winner Oppenheimer, Murphy was awarded his first Oscar for Best Actor at the 96th Academy Awards in March.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
In his portrayal of Remy, Daniels nicely draws out the paternal fretfulness of an accidental dad.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
John Travolta earned an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Shapiro in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story in 2016.
—Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
For his portrayal of legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, Cooper donned a fake nose that some deemed antisemitic.
—Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
There is also an equally delightful portrayal of friendship between Meg and Alice (Faith Wright).
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2024
His endearing awkwardness made his portrayal of the underdog Stanley quite believable — someone audiences could truly root for.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024
Phoenix earned the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Arthur Fleck, aka the Joker.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
For his portrayal of Robert J. Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s Best Picture-winner Oppenheimer, Murphy was awarded his first Oscar for Best Actor at the 96th Academy Awards in March.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'portrayal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near portrayal
Cite this Entry
“Portrayal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/portrayal. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
portrayal
noun
por·tray·al
pōr-ˈtrā(-ə)l
pȯr-
1
: the act or process of portraying : representation
2
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