Portrait Meaning
/ˈpɔːtɹeɪt/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA painting or other picture of a person, especially the head and shoulders.
nounAn accurate depiction of a person, a mood, etc.
Sentence Examples
Bob mounted the portrait in a fancy frame, but it was upside down.
That portrait reminds me of someone I knew a long time ago.
The portrait shows the profile of a beautiful woman.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The artist painted a beautiful ____ of the queen in oils for the museum.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The artist spent three months painting a life-size ____ of the mayor for the town hall.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French portraict, pourtraict, nominal use of the past participle of portraire (“portray”), from Latin prōtrahō (< prō- + trahō). Compare typologically English drawing.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In portraits, the grace, and, we may add, the likeness, consists more in the general air than in the exact similitude of every feature."
— a. 1792, Joshua Reynolds, Discourses on Painting and the Fine Arts:
"She showed me her portrait, written by herself. I only remember what she states of her mouth, which, she says, was not only beautiful and red, but had a thousand little natural airs and graces not to be found in any other mouth. Oh, I must not forget her figure, which, she assured the reader, was the best-made and the finest that could be seen: nothing could be more regular, more graceful, or more easy."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, pages 232–233:
"But all as in most exquisite pictures, they vse to blaze and portrait, not only the daintie lineaments or beautie, but also round about it to shadowe the rude thickets and craggy clifts"
— 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Hugh Singleton, […], →OCLC:
"Methinkes yᵉ picture of Sᵗ George fighting with yᵉ Dragon hath some resemblance of Sᵗ Michael fighting with the Devil, who is pourtrated like a Dragon."
— 1687, John Aubrey, Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme, page 69:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The artist painted a beautiful ____ of the queen in oils for the museum.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The artist spent three months painting a life-size ____ of the mayor for the town hall.