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
Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Ben Baila, 76, were stabbed in north London on Wednesday in an incident that national authorities are now characterizing as a terrorist attack.
—
Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2026
To further complicate things, the economy is at a critical juncture, characterized by slowing job gains and inflation concerns, and the war with Iran has pushed up energy costs that threaten to bleed beyond the gas pump.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
Both Lemon and Fort pled not guilty and have characterized the charges against them as politically motivated, maintaining that their coverage of the event was legally protected under the First Amendment.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
While the Journal characterizes the loss of funding as a death knell for the organization, LIV officials have been quick to point out that the league has been increasing its revenue this year.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for characterize
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Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2026
To further complicate things, the economy is at a critical juncture, characterized by slowing job gains and inflation concerns, and the war with Iran has pushed up energy costs that threaten to bleed beyond the gas pump.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
Both Lemon and Fort pled not guilty and have characterized the charges against them as politically motivated, maintaining that their coverage of the event was legally protected under the First Amendment.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
While the Journal characterizes the loss of funding as a death knell for the organization, LIV officials have been quick to point out that the league has been increasing its revenue this year.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 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 1 May. 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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