CHARACTERISE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does characterise mean? 

• CHARACTERISE (verb)
  The verb CHARACTERISE has 2 senses:

1. be characteristic of

2. describe or portray the character or the qualities or peculiarities of

  Familiarity information: CHARACTERISE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CHARACTERISE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they characterise    ... he / she / it characterises   
Past simple: characterised   
Past participle: characterised   
-ing form: characterising   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be characteristic of

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

characterise; characterize

Context example:

What characterizes a Venetian painting?

Hypernyms (to "characterise" is one way to...):

differentiate; distinguish; mark (be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "characterise"):

individuate (give individual character to)

define (determine the nature of)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

character (a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Describe or portray the character or the qualities or peculiarities of

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

characterise; characterize; qualify

Context example:

This poem can be characterized as a lament for a dead lover

Hypernyms (to "characterise" is one way to...):

remember; think of (keep in mind for attention or consideration)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "characterise"):

differentiate; distinguish; mark (be a distinctive feature, attribute, or trait; sometimes in a very positive sense)

stamp (reveal clearly as having a certain character)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

character (a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something)

character (a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability)

characterisation (the act of describing distinctive characteristics or essential features)

characterisation (a graphic or vivid verbal description)

 Context examples 

A clinical variant of Langerhans cell histiocytosis characterised by unifocal involvement of a bone (most often), skin, or lung.

(Eosinophilic Granuloma, NCI Thesaurus)

A rare chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm characterised by neutrophilic leukocytosis.

(Chronic neutrophilic leukemia, NCI Thesaurus)

An Epstein-Barr negative disorder with a nonprogressive clinical course affecting predominantly adults and characterised by the proliferation of large granular lymphocytes with natural killer cell immunophenotype.

(Chronic Lymphoproliferative Disorder of NK-Cells, NCI Thesaurus)

Probably related to a recessive gene, this is Fanconi Syndrome, characterised by adult onset. — 2003

(Adult Fanconi Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

An invasive breast adenocarcinoma characterised by the presence of non-neoplastic stromal osteoclastic giant cells.

(Breast Carcinoma with Osteoclastic Giant Cells, NCI Thesaurus)

Acute erythroid leukemia characterised by the presence of at least 50% erythroid precursors and at least 20% myeloblasts in the bone marrow. — 2003

(Erythroleukemia, NCI Thesaurus)

Fanconi anemia (FA) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterised clinically by progressive bone marrow failure, skeletal deformities and a predisposition to neoplasia.

(Fanconi's Anemia, NCI Thesaurus)

A nevus characterised by the presence of excessive pigment.

(Pigmented Nevus, NCI Thesaurus)

She was a hired nurse, the wife of one of the turnkeys, and her countenance expressed all those bad qualities which often characterise that class.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

A chronic myelogenous leukemia characterised by the t(9;22)(q34;q11) chromosomal translocation, resulting in the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome and the BCR-ABL1 fusion gene.

(Philadelphia Chromosome Positive, BCR-ABL1 Positive Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, NCI Thesaurus)