# characterize

/ˈkɛɹəktɝˌaɪz/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/characterize
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to describe qualities

verb · CEFR B2

to describe someone or something by their most important features, often in a specific way.

For teachers: to describe the character or quality of someone or something; often used to frame a subject in a particular light.

- The media often characterize the new law as a threat to privacy.
- Critics characterize his early novels as overly sentimental, though modern scholars argue they were actually quite subversive for their time.

Usage: Often used in the pattern 'characterize something as something'.

### 2. to be a typical feature

verb · CEFR C1 · Academic

to be a typical quality or feature of a person, place, or thing.

For teachers: to be a typical or distinguishing feature of a person, group, or thing.

- Bright colors and bold lines characterize the artist's unique style.
- A high degree of economic volatility characterized the decade following the sudden collapse of the central bank.

Usage: In this sense, the subject is the quality and the object is the thing being defined.

### 3. to identify traits

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to study something to find out its special qualities or what it is made of.

For teachers: to determine or identify the specific characteristics or properties of a substance or phenomenon.

- The researchers worked to characterize the new virus in the laboratory.
- The study aims to fully characterize the chemical composition of the soil samples collected from the volcanic site.

## Examples

- How would you characterize his style of leadership?
- The report tends to characterize the recent economic shift as a temporary setback rather than a long-term crisis.
- While critics often characterize her early novels as purely autobiographical, a closer reading reveals a sophisticated blend of historical research and speculative fiction that transcends her personal experience.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.