Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

characterize

[kar-ik-tuh-rahyz] / ˈkær ɪk təˌraɪz /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Working together, the two proteins produced the exceptionally long telomeres that characterize melanoma tumors.

From Science Daily Jul. 1, 2026

Others would characterize the plague less as a turning point than a speed bump that slowed Europe’s inevitable ascent.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 12, 2026

But without the proper documentation or court-ordered child support, the Internal Revenue Service could characterize this money as a gift or settlement.

From MarketWatch May 16, 2026

If “Mija No Te Asustes” is an album about this confident boss man calling the shots, how would you characterize “Afterafter”?

From Los Angeles Times May 13, 2026

“Life...is a chemical incident,” Paul Ehrlich, the chemist, had once said, and biochemists, true to form, had begun to break open cells and characterize the constituent “living chemicals” into classes and functions.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Griffin’s countersuit claims that the classmate’s lawsuit characterizes her as “a fraud and a thief.”

From Salon Jun. 25, 2026

The shares have since wavered, falling 16% on Monday alone, and options sellers are helping to create a two-way flow, which characterizes healthy markets.

From Barron's Jun. 24, 2026

Mr. Sorey’s band moves from down-home blues to church-service uplift to the sort of energized ritual that characterizes “creative music,” a practice for which Mr. Sorey is now a forceful lodestar.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 22, 2026

If one thing characterizes the past few years of major app releases, it’s “features users didn’t ask for.”

From Slate Jun. 10, 2026

This acceleration, which characterizes the force of gravity holding us to the Earth’s surface, is called 1 g, g for Earth gravity.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

They flagged Hilton’s alarming livestream within minutes, closed other live streams within 90 seconds and banned the account, the spokesperson said, but its removal was delayed by what was characterized as “a moderator error.”

From Salon Aug. 6, 2026

Barragan told investigators that “although Wells Fargo characterized the incident as a mistake, he believed additional review was appropriate given the amount of money involved,” the memo says.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 4, 2026

The U.S. is facing a severe outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a food-borne illness caused by the cyclospora parasite and characterized by explosive diarrhea that can last weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 3, 2026

Once again, we see that the market timers’ recent behavior can hardly be characterized as stubbornly held bullishness.

From MarketWatch Aug. 3, 2026

“Sure, it’s a disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable attacks of deep sleep,” said Sticky, then ducked his head shyly.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

"CMDR's laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art chemical instrumentation for quantifying and characterizing microplastics in environmental samples," explains Lynch.

From Science Daily Jun. 28, 2026

So do the bubblelike conditions that seem to be characterizing the U.S. stock market and private credit market.

From Barron's Jun. 16, 2026

“I’m quite frankly troubled by what I see as a brazen disregard,” Commissioner Ray Jackson remarked about Levy during a public hearing, characterizing the situation as “a direct affront to the people of California.”

From The Wall Street Journal May 16, 2026

The back-and-forth became increasingly heated as Kennedy also peppered Noem for characterizing Good and Pretti as domestic terrorists.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 3, 2026

I voiced these thoughts to Hugh, who denounced both me and the crowd, unironically characterizing the atmosphere as "carnivallike."

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris




Vocabulary lists containing characterize


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training