characterize

CEFRB2

/ˈkæɹəktəɹaɪz/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To describe the qualities or nature of someone or something.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To be typical of.

Examples

  • Drunken fights and more drunken sex characterize their excuse for a relationship.

  • If you had to characterize your wife in three words, which ones would you pick?

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To determine the characteristics of.

  2. To depict someone or something a particular way (often negative).

More examples

In context

  • The rolling hills that characterize this part of England

  • There is no way to avoid the slight cups, crooks, bows and twists that characterize wood.

  • The second level of reading we will call Inspectional Reading. It is characterized by its special emphasis on time.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Historians often blank the era as a time of great cultural flourishing and economic growth.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Medieval Latin charactērizō, from Ancient Greek χαρακτηρίζω (kharaktērízō, “to designate by a characteristic mark”), from χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “a mark, character”). By surface analysis, character + -ize.